Saudi consulate in Istanbul will be searched: Turkish foreign ministry

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the investigation into Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a week ago, is "continuing intensively".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement that although the Vienna convention states that consulate buildings have immunity, they can be searched by host country authorities with the consent of the mission chief.

"The consulate building will be searched in the framework of the investigation," the statement said.

Aksoy in the statement further asserted that Turkish judiciary, intelligence, and security units are "closely following" the developments on Khashoggi incident since it happened.

He assured that relevant authorities are conducting "intense investigation" in efforts to reveal the fate of the journalist.

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

Turkish police investigating the case of the missing journalist had said in a statement Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.

Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.