Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for remains of a Saudi dissident journalist who disappeared two weeks ago after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, two Turkish officials said.
Investigators have also recovered "many samples" from their searches of the consulate and the consul's residence, the senior officials told Reuters, and will attempt to analyze those for traces of the DNA of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia has denied allegations by Turkish officials who have said Khashoggi was killed inside the building and his body removed. His disappearance and likely death has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States and European countries.