Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey hunts mysterious black van it believes carried body of missing Saudi journalist after ‘murder by hit squad’
Search for vehicle comes as The Washington Post publishes possibly last image of missing Saudi reporter
Turkish authorities are examining motorway cameras in the search for a black van they believe carried the body of Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday – one of six cars investigators say belonged to a Saudi hit squad thought to be behind the suspected murder of the dissident journalist.
Officials say the convoy left the consulate around two hours after Khashoggi entered. Security camera footage shows boxes being loaded into the van, which carried diplomatic number plates.
After leaving the consulate grounds, three cars turned left on to a main road while the other three turned right.
Investigators say one of the vehicles, a van with blacked out windows, has become the focus of the investigation, and was briefly tracked to a nearby motorway.
Nearly a week since Khashoggi disappeared, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepped up his calls for Riyadh to explain what happened to the high-profile critic of the Saudi leadership.
The Turkish president had struck a measured tone when pressed on Khashoggi, while allowing government officials and state media to drip-feed allegations. Details of the convoy were disclosed by the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper.