Saudi Arabia's crown prince yesterday denounced the "painful" murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and vowed justice would prevail, in his first public comments on the case, without addressing US accusations of a monumental cover-up.

Turkish investigators find two suitcases and other items in a Saudi consulate car in Istanbul, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, broadcaster CNN Turk reports.

Two intelligence sources say, the man ran journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over Skype.

The alleged killing of the Saudi Arabian dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a permanent resident of the United States, in the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul has unleashed a tidal wave of criticism.

Saudi Arabia faces a growing chorus of incredulity over its belated explanation of how critic Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, as world powers demand answers and the whereabouts of his body.

Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi "before long", a senior Turkish official says.

Saudi Arabia yesterday said that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate, its first admission of his death after two weeks of denials that have shaken Western relations with the kingdom.

Turkey yesterday widened the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after his visit to the Saudi consulate, searching a forest in the city.

President Donald Trump says he presumes missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the US response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

Police searching the Saudi Consulate finds evidence that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed there, a high-level Turkish official says, and authorities appear ready to also search the nearby residence of the consul general after the diplomat left the country.

Turkish and Saudi teams investigating the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi two weeks ago left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a nine-hour search of the building, Reuters witnesses say.