Is Khashoggi’s body hidden in woods?

POLICE investigating the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi have expanded their search to woodland on the outskirts of Istanbul.

His body may have been disposed of in the nearby Belgrad Forest or woodland in the Gazi neighbourhood, Turkish officials said.

It is believed the critic of the Saudi crown prince was tortured, murdered and dismembered by a hit squad of 15 Saudi agents.

But his body is yet to be found, leading to speculation the killers may have poured acid on him or flown his body parts back to Riyadh. Investigators have traced the movements of a suspicious black van belonging to the Saudi diplomatic mission. They watched footage of more than 150 CCTV cameras across Istanbul and pinned down the whereabouts of the vehicle during October 2.

At one point a convoy of cars was seen entering a car park and a CCTV blackspot. Soon after the black van with green diplomatic plates emerged, a source told news outlet Middle East Eye. A few minutes after leaving the car park the van’s GPRS system was torn out and discarded on the road, it was said.

But investigators – after wading through hours of footage – managed to track the van’s journey north, past the Gazi woodland and Belgrad Forest, and back into town. Police were combing the areas yesterday.