Khashoggi's fiancée demands Trumps’ help to clear up circumstances over his disappearance

The fiancée of prominent Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing after visiting the kingdom’s consulate in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul last week, has asked President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to "help shed light" on his disappearance.

Hatice Cengiz wrote in the major American daily newspaper The Washington Post that the 59-year-old writer first visited the diplomatic mission on September 28 "despite being somewhat concerned that he could be in danger." He later returned on October 2 after being promised needed paperwork so the two could get married.

“At this time, I implore President Trump and first lady Melania Trump to help shed light on Jamal's disappearance. I also urge Saudi Arabia, especially King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to show the same level of sensitivity and release CCTV footage from the consulate,” she wrote.

Cengiz added, “Although this incident could potentially fuel a political crisis between the two nations, let us not lose sight of the human aspect of what happened.”

“I've witnessed the work of the Turkish authorities as they monitor the situation closely. I am confident in the abilities of Turkish government officials,” she noted.

PressTV-Turkish daily identifies Khashoggi’s ‘assassins’

The Saudi writer's fate remains shrouded in mystery, as the Daily Sabah publishes names and photos of 15 Saudis wanted over his disappearance after arriving in Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul.

Cengiz went on to say that she remained confident that the “great man” is still alive, “although my hope slowly fades away each passing day.”

Turkish opposition urges Saudi diplomats expulsion over Khashoggi disappearance

Meanwhile, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has called upon the government to expel Saudi Arabian diplomats in light of Khashoggi’s disappearance.

"Saudi diplomats… should be expelled from the country. They should be declared personae non gratae. Turkey should not cover up for criminals," Kilicdaroglu said.

A Turkish official told the New York Times on the condition of anonymity that a team of Saudi agents killed the 59-year-old writer within two hours of his arrival at the consulate, and then dismembered his body with a bone saw they had brought for the purpose.

“It is like ‘Pulp Fiction,’” the official commented.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said officials from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul must “prove” that Khashoggi made exit from the mission.

“The Saudi consulate officials in Istanbul can't get away with [simply] saying 'he left the building.’ The claimants are obligated to prove their claims. If he left the building, then you need to prove it,” the Turkish leader said during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban in Budapest.

Bin Salman said late on Friday that he was ready to allow Turkey to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for the missing journalist.

“The premises are sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. We have nothing to hide,” he said in an interview with English-language Bloomberg news network.

The Saudi crown prince added that Khashoggi had left the building not long after he entered.

Khashoggi’s fiancée said he entered the consulate at around 1 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) on October 2, as she accompanied him but waited outside. 

PressTV-‘Turkey to prosecute Saudi officials tied to Khashoggi case’

President Erdogan's advisor says everyone linked to the Saudi journalist's suspected murder shall be prosecuted, even if it is the Saudi consul himself.

The woman, who is a Turkish citizen, called police when Khashoggi did not emerge at 5 p.m., after the consulate had officially closed.

The rights group Prisoners of Conscience, which is an independent non-governmental organization advocating human rights in Saudi Arabia, announced in a post on its official Twitter page that it did not dismiss the possibility that Khashoggi's sudden disappearance was an attempt to silence the writer.

The Arab21 news website reported that the author paid a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week, but was told by officials at the time to return at a later date to complete an application related to a family matter.

Khashoggi, a prominent commentator on Saudi affairs who writes for The Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since September 2017, when he left Saudi Arabia over fears of the Riyadh regime’s crackdown on critical voices.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk