A CLEANING crew entered the Saudi consulate in Instanbul where journalist Jamal Khashoggi is believed to have been killed before Turkish authorities investigated the scene.

In view of reporters, the cleaners entered the office carrying buckets, mops, and what appeared to be cleaning solution just hours before Turkish officials were due to begin their search on Monday.

According to the Washington Post, investigators said they “smelled chemicals had been used” as they looked for evidence.

Investigators believe journalist Mr Khashoggi was gruesomely killed after finding “certain evidence” during their search of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The officials say Saudi agents killed and dismembered the writer at the consulate on October 2.

Mr Khashoggi, originally from Saudi Arabia and a critic of the government, attended the office to obtain a document to prove he was divorced so he could marry his fiancee. He has not been seen since.

Meanwhile, US top diplomat Mike Pompeo arrived at Riyadh’s royal palace to talk about the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier in the day, Mr Pompeo discussed the case with King Salman, but was only given a 15-minute meeting.

Saudi Arabia previously called the allegation “baseless,” but US media reports suggest the Saudis may soon acknowledge Mr Khashoggi was killed there, perhaps as part of a botched interrogation.

The Middle Eastern kingdom is reportedly preparing to admit its agents killed the journalist who was living in self-imposed exile in Washington.

His fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, tweeted a Quranic verse promising “eternal hellfire” for the killers of “deliberate believers.”

US President Donald Trump dispatched Mr Pompeo to Riyadh for what the State Department has described as “face-to-face meetings with the Saudi leadership” about the incident which sparked international outrage.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said Crown Prince Mohammed is a “toxic” figure who “has got to go.”

“I’ve been their biggest defender on floor of the United States. This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in consulate in Turkey,” he said.

“I feel used and abused. I was on the floor every time defending Saudi Arabia because they are a good ally. There is difference between a country and individual. (Crown Prince Mohammed) can never be a world leader on the world stage,” he said.

“I’m not going back to Saudi Arabia as long as this guy is in charge,” Mr Graham said.

He said he would “sanction the hell” out of the country if he was US president.

It came as big corporates pulled out of the Davos in the Desert conference.

Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene, Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, billionaire Richard Branson, JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman, Bill Ford, have all pulled out of the upcoming conference.

TRUMP SAYS NOT TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS
President Donald Trump criticised rapidly mounting global condemnation of Saudi Arabia over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, warning of a rush to judgment.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mr Trump compared the situation to the allegations of sexual assault levelled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.

“I think we have to find out what happened first,” Mr Trump said.

“Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I’m concerned.”

Trump spoke on Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Monday with King Salman.

He said both deny any knowledge of what happened to Mr Khashoggi, who entered their country’s consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.

But the US President Donald Trump previously warned of “severe punishment” for the kingdom if it was found to be involved in Khashoggi’s disappearance.