Turkish authorities searching for the remains of slain dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Monday raided two villas in a rural district southeast of Istanbul, the country’s state-run news agency reported.

Crime scene investigators aided by dogs and a drone first sealed off one villa near the town of Termal in Yalova province and later searched the grounds of a neighboring villa, according to Anadolu.

On the grounds of the first villa, investigators using special equipment drained water from a well, Anadolu reported.

The news outlet, without citing a source, said the villas belong to two Saudi businessmen, including one who had allegedly been contacted by phone by some members of the 15-man Saudi assassination squad that traveled to Istanbul to carry out the deadly operation.

Anadolu did not name the businessman but said he was outside of Turkey at the time of the murder and had not returned in the past two months.

Yalova Gov. Muammer Erol confirmed that a search related to Khashoggi’s killing was taking place but said any announcement would come from Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, who is leading the Turkish probe into the killing.

Turkey has maintained pressure on Saudi Arabia over the Oct. 2 killing of the US-based columnist for the Washington Post who was a critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

The Trump administration has slapped sanctions on 17 Saudis accused of involvement in the killing. They include the 15-man hit squad, the Saudi consul general in Istanbul and a former adviser to the crown prince.

Last week, President Trump sidestepped a determination by the CIA that Prince Mohammad directed the murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and voiced his continued support for the ruling royal family.

Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

The kingdom initially said Khashoggi had walked out of the consulate before shifting its account of what happened amid Turkish intelligence leaks.

Riyadh is now seeking the death penalty for five members of the hit team in a move that appeared to be aimed at appeasing international furor over the killing and distancing the killers from the crown prince.

Meanwhile, Prince Mohammad was due to arrive in Egypt on Monday for a two-day visit, state news agency MENA reported, part of his first trip abroad since Khashoggi’s murder.

The prince is due to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi “dealing with bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries … as well as some political files of shared interest,” according to MENA.

Prince Mohammad, who also has visited the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain since Thursday, is expected to travel to Tunisia on Tuesday.

With Post wires