Turkish police search Saudi businessmen’s villas for Khashoggi remains

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police, searching for the remains of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, scour the grounds of two adjoining villas in northwestern Turkey, the country’s state-run news agency reports.

Crime scene investigators and other officials aided by sniffer dogs and a drone first seal off one of the villas near the town of Termal in Yalova province and later expand their search to the grounds of the neighboring villa, the state-run Anadolu agency reports.

The focus of the search is a well on the grounds of the first villa, which is being drained of water with special equipment brought to the scene.

Turkey has maintained pressure on Saudi Arabia over the October 2 killing of the US-based columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Turkey says the journalist was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. The assassins strangled and dismembered him before removing his remains, which have yet to be found.

Anadolu, without citing a source, says the villas belong to two Saudi businessmen, including one who had allegedly been contacted by telephone by some members of the Saudi assassination squad.

— AP