Police Search Istanbul Sewage Near Saudi Consulate Over Khashoggi Case - Reports

The law enforcement used video cameras during the operation, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi consulate on October 2. After weeks of denials, the Saudi authorities acknowledged that the journalist, a critic of Riyadh, was slain inside the consulate building.

Saudi law enforcement said 18 people had been detained in the case of Khashoggi murder. Turkey, meanwhile, is carrying out its own investigation into the incident. On Tuesday, Turkey's Patriotic Party (VATAN) leader Dogu Perincek told Sputnik, citing security sources, that the body of the murdered journalist had been found in a well in the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul.

More than 160 non-government organizations said in a statement on Friday that the international community must hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The NGOs called on the United Nations to launch an independent probe into the murder of Khashoggi and suspend Saudi Arabia from the Human Rights Council.

READ MORE: Haspel Briefs Trump on Khashoggi Case Findings After Turkey Trip — White House

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with the explanation of the incident put out by the Saudi government. Trump told reporters that allowing one month for an investigation, as requested by Riyadh, would be too long.

Saudi Arabian Prosecutor General Saud Mujib said Thursday that the murder of journalist had been orchestrated in advance. The prosecutor noted that the his office continued to probe the case following the information received from the Saudi-Turkish joint investigation group.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described  Wednesday the case of murdered Jamal Khashoggi as "painful" for all Saudis, stressing that this heinous crime cannot be justified.