The Latest: Morocco confirms 2015 extradition to Saudi
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):
8:40 p.m.
Morocco's justice minister has confirmed that the country handed the former head of security to the Saudi royal family back to Saudi Arabia in 2015 on the basis of an Interpol notice. He reportedly disappeared days later.
The confirmation from Mohammed Aujjar comes in response to international reports mentioning the case in the context of the disappearance earlier this week of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.
Aujjar said Turki bin Bandar, who fell out with the Saudi royal family and fled to Paris in 2012, was arrested in Morocco on Nov. 11, 2015 under an international warrant issued by Saudi Arabia "for disturbances of public order via internet and for committing financial crimes" and extradited to Saudi Arabia five days later.
The minister told The Associated Press that Morocco's supreme court issued the order for the extraction of Turki bin Banda and that his arrest "also followed strict judiciary procedures."
The Washington Post reported that Turki disappeared in 2015.
Moroccan authorities wouldn't comment on Khashoggi's case.
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8:35 p.m.
Saudi Arabia has welcomed Turkey's approval of a joint Turkish-Saudi working group to investigate the disappearance of Saudi Arabian writer Jamal Khashoggi.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation to Turkey for agreeing to form a "joint action team."
The Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey earlier Friday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu said.
The Saudi statement said the kingdom is keen "to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be."
Saudi Arabia has called allegations it abducted or harmed Khashoggi "baseless."
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8:30 p.m.
The fiancee of a missing Saudi journalist is urging U.S. President Donald Trump to use his clout to find out what happened to her partner.
Following a Turkish court's decision to free the evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson, Trump tweeted: "Working very hard on Pastor (Andrew) Brunson!"
That prompted Hatice Cengiz to ask about her missing fiancee, Jamal Khashoggi, a writer who had been critical of Saudi leaders.
"What about Jamal Khashoggi?" she tweeted.
Khashoggi vanished last week after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married.
Trump on Thursday said U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia were "excellent" and that he doesn't want to scuttle highly lucrative arms deals with Riyadh.
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5 p.m.
President Emmanuel Macron says France wants to know "the whole truth" about the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, calling the early details about the case "very worrying."
Macon said "I'm waiting for the truth and complete clarity to be made" since the matter is "very serious." He spoke Friday in Yerevan, Armenia, to French broadcasters RFI and France 24.
Macron said he hasn't discussed the issue with Saudi authorities and the Turkish president yet, but will do so in the coming days. He said he will take position on the case after more details are known and verified by French intelligence services.
Turkish officials allege Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate.
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1:15 p.m.
Germany says it is "very concerned" about the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, and is calling on Saudi Arabia to "participate fully" in clearing up reports that he may have been killed.
Khashoggi went missing over a week ago after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials allege he was killed inside the consulate.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said "the suspicion that is being talked about here is appalling, and so this disappearance must be cleared up as quickly and thoroughly as possible."
He added that "Saudi Arabia must participate fully in clearing this up."
Foreign ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gave a similar message to the Saudi ambassador in Berlin earlier this week.
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1 p.m.
The Washington Post says the Turkish government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul.
In a report Friday, the newspaper, for which Khashoggi is a columnist, cited anonymous officials saying the recordings show a Saudi security team detaining the writer when he went to the consulate on Oct. 2 to pick up a document for his upcoming wedding.
The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the report, and Turkish officials would not comment.
Saudi Arabia has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Khashoggi "baseless."
However, it has offered no evidence to support its claim he left the consulate and vanished even though his fiance waiting outside.
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12:55 p.m.
Turkey's state-run news agency says a delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.
Anadolu Agency said Friday that the delegation would hold talks with Turkish officials over the weekend. It did not provide further details.
On Thursday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey and Saudi Arabia would form a "joint working group" to look into Khashoggi's disappearance. The journalist vanished last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish officials have said The Washington Post contributor may have been killed inside the consulate, but they haven't offered any evidence. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegation as "baseless."