What’s known about missing journalist

Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the government who lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, went missing on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. He has not been seen since, leading to various theories about what happened to him.

Khashoggi may have been abducted or slain inside the consulate. A surveillance video shows him entering the consulate, but there are no images of him coming out.

The Washington Post, for whom Khashoggi is a frequent contributor in its Global Opinions sections, reported that U.S. intelligence officials intercepted communications of Saudi officials “discussing a plan to capture him.” The Post further reported that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, was directly involved – ordering an operation to “lure” Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him there.

Turkish media have published the names of 15 Saudi nationals who traveled to Istanbul the day Khashoggi disappeared. One of the individuals is the head of a forensic department in Saudi Arabia’s intelligence services. Others appear to be Saudi agents of one kind or another, according to Turkey’s Sabah newspaper.

On Thursday, NBC News reported that Khashoggi checked his cellphone just before entering the Saudi consulate. But he never read messages sent to him minutes later. The detail would appear to corroborate the timeline of his disappearance.

Saudi Arabia has dismissed all allegations it took part in any plot against Khashoggi.

Turkey has said it is preparing to search the Saudi consulate for any evidence of what may have happened to Khashoggi. However, no specific timeline for that has been made public. Turkey believes that Khashoggi was killed inside the compound.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. investigators are also launching a probe after a bipartisan group of senators demanded the White House do so.