An Istanbul court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for two former Saudi officials for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The decision of the court came after Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office demanded arrests of Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to the crown prince, and Ahmed al-Asiri, former deputy intelligence chief, for their alleged involvement in the killing.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, weeks later the Saudi administration admitted he was killed there.

Following a royal decree, Saudi Arabia dismissed five senior officials, including al-Qahtani and al-Asiri.