President Donald Trump said Monday he is "concerned" about the disappearance of a Saudi Arabian journalist who had been critical of the country's government.
Jamal Khashoggi, 59, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, and was a contributor to The Washington Post and other outlets, vanished last Tuesday after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul; Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed inside the facility, the Associated Press reported. Saudi officials deny that.
"I am concerned about it," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, The Hill reported. "I don't like hearing about it and hopefully that will sort itself out."
The president did not express his view on whether he believes the Turkish accusation, but made reference to reports of the incident.
"Right now nobody knows anything about it, but there's some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it," he said.
Khashoggi's disappearance has threatened to upend already-fraught relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and it raises new questions about the kingdom and the actions of its assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Khashoggi wrote critically about in his columns.
The incident also could affect U.S.-Saudi relations as well, The Hill reported. The administration has formed a close relationship with bin Salman.
Hours before Trump's statement, U.S. allies including the United Kingdom and France expressed alarm at the journalist's disappearance, The Hill noted.
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