A Turkish official said that investigators are assessing the possibility whether the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city, if and after he was killed inside the diplomatic mission earlier this month.

The official told The Associated Press on Friday that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the Saudi consulate left the building on October 2 the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

The official says one vehicle went to the Belgrade Forest outside Istanbul while the other travelled to the city of Yalova. It's unclear if police had already searched these areas.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.