The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was planned days in advance, the Turkish president says, addressing MPs from his ruling party.

He said Turkey had strong evidence Khashoggi was killed in a premeditated and ‘savage’ murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

He also called for the suspects to be tried in Istanbul, reports the BBC.

He demanded Saudi Arabia provide answers about where Khashoggi’s body was and who ordered the operation.

Mr Erdogan confirmed that 18 people had been arrested in the kingdom over the case. However, he has not released any details of the evidence gathered about the killing.

He made no mention of any audio or video recordings mentioned in media reports in the days following the journalist’s disappearance.

President Erdogan said three teams of 15 Saudi nationals had arrived in Istanbul on separate flights in the days and hours leading up to the murder.