Saudi dissident goes into Istanbul consulate and fails to come out
Jamal Kashoggi's fiancee contacted police after waiting in vain for him to emerge for more than seven hours
Istanbul/Washington — Two people close to Saudi political commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who left his country for the US last year fearing retribution for his critical views, are concerned about his whereabouts, saying he failed to emerge from Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée as well as a close friend contacted by Reuters said he had not exited the diplomatic mission more than seven hours after entering to secure documentation of his divorce so that he could remarry. The fiancée, who asked not to be named, said she had waited outside the consulate from 1p. local time and called the police when he had not reappeared. "I don't know what's happening. I don't know if he's inside or if they took him somewhere else," she said by telephone from outside the compound. Turkish and Saudi authorities, including the Istanbul consulate and the Saudi embassy in Washington, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Turkey has had strained relatio...
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