Turkish experts try to crack passwords of Khashoggi’s iPhones

Two iPhones belonging to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are being looked into by Istanbul police. Khashoggi had handed the phones over to his fiancée Hatice Cengiz prior to entering the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2.

Both phones are in the hands of the Department of Anti-Cyber Crime Investigation, but no information has yet been obtained because the passwords have not been able to be cracked.

Security forces are continuing their efforts to access Khashoggi’s iCloud account, which is synced with his iPhones.

Reports emerged on Saturday that Turkey's investigation into Khashoggi's fate after he entered the Saudi consulate revealed recordings made on his Apple Watch purportedly indicating he was tortured and killed.

However, it was not clear whether data from Khashoggi's watch could have been transmitted to his phone outside, or how investigators could have retrieved it without obtaining the watch themselves.

Apple Inc. declined to comment on these claims.

Technology experts say it is highly unlikely the watch could have recorded actions inside the embassy and uploaded them to an iCloud account. Most models of the watch require that it be within 30 to 50 feet (9-15 meters) of the iPhone it is paired with to upload data to Apple's iCloud, they said.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has gone missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

On that same day 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while Khashoggi was also inside, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K -- are pressing for the case to be cleared up as soon as possible.