US President Donald Trump says he does not want to abandon ally Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and has asked for audio recordings that Turkish sources say indicate he was killed by Saudi agents.
Trump said he was waiting for a full report on what had happened to Jamal Khashoggi from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom he sent to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to meet with officials over the disappearance of the Saudi government critic.
Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was critical of the authoritarian kingdom's Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 and his body removed.
The Saudis have denied the allegations.
Turkish sources said authorities have an audio recording indicating Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. He has not been seen since entering the building.
Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper on Wednesday published what it said were details from audio recordings purported to document Khashoggi's torture and interrogation.
Khashoggi was killed within minutes and his torturers severed his fingers during the interrogation, the newspaper said. His killers later beheaded and dismembered him, it said.
Turkey has not shared with the US or European allies graphic audio or video evidence.
Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old crown prince, said the US has asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence.
Asked in a Fox Business Network interview if Washington could abandon Riyadh, Trump said: "I do not want to do that."
Trump reiterated his hopes that Saudi leaders were not involved in the disappearance of Khashoggi, a US resident.
"We have asked for it, if it exists ... I'm not sure yet that it exists, probably does, possibly does," he told reporters referring to the audio or video evidence.
US media outlets have reported that Riyadh, despite its earlier denials of involvement, will acknowledge he was killed in a botched interrogation.
Trump has appeared unwilling to distance himself too much from the Saudis, citing Riyadh's role in countering Iranian influence in the region - and tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals.
Pompeo said Riyadh should be given a few more days to complete its own probe into Khashoggi's disappearance. He met Turkey's president and foreign minister, a day after Trump gave Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt.
Turkish investigators spent nearly nine hours in the Saudi consul's residence, leaving early on Thursday, as did Saudi investigators. The search by Turkish investigators included the roof and garage and the deployment of a drone over the area.
Turkish crime scene investigators were still working at the consulate early on Thursday.
