INTO THIN AIR

Jamal Khashoggi: Saudi Arabia and Turkey Argue Over Disappearance of WaPo Contributor

Saudis insist missing writer left Istanbul consulate. Turkey disagrees.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are locked in dispute over the whereabouts of a Washington Post contributor who disappeared following a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Saudi consulate insists Jamal Khashoggi left its building before vanishing but Turkish officials say he’s still inside. Khashoggi had been living in a self-imposed exile in the U.S. while writing columns critical of Saudi Arabia. He entered the consulate Tuesday to get paperwork he needed in order to be married next week and has not been seen since. “The consulate confirmed that it is carrying out follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building,” a Saudi consulate statement said Thursday. But Turkish officials said “this person who is a Saudi citizen is still at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.”