Turkey searches Saudi consulate again, as French, Dutch ministers cancel Riyadh trip

ISTANBUL: Turkey searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a second time overnight as part of a probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the French and Dutch finance ministers pulled out of a Riyadh investment summit amid global criticism of the kingdom.

US President Donald Trump said he was awaiting a full report on what had happened to Khashoggi from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the envoy met with Saudi and Turkish leaders, and said he did not want to abandon his Saudi ally.

Turkish officials say they believe Khashoggi - a US resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body removed. Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Putin says US bears some responsibility for Khashoggi disappearance: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the US bears a “certain responsibility” for the fate of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, adding that there is not enough evidence that Riyadh is behind his disappearance.

“As far as I know, the journalist that disappeared lived in the US. In this sense, of course, the US holds a certain responsibility over what happened to him,” Putin said at a forum in the southern Russian city of Sochi. The Russian leader said Moscow “cannot start deteriorating relations” with Saudi Arabia because “it did not know what really happened.”