A man arrested in Turkey on suspicion of spying for the United Arab Emirates has committed suicide in prison, according to the Turkish justice ministry.

The detainee was one of two suspects arrested earlier this month and charged with espionage. Turkish officials said the pair had confessed to spying on Arab nationals and were in the process of setting up a surveillance network.

The spying case had garnered added intrigue after it was revealed that Turkish authorities were investigating one of the two suspects for links to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which prompted an international outcry.

A senior official told Reuters at the time of the arrests that one of the men had arrived in the days after Khashoggi’s death in October last year, and that the other came later to assist with his workload.

The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said Monday that one of the two prisoners, identified as Zaki YM Hasan, hanged himself in his cell, but did not specify whether it was the suspect linked to the Khashoggi killing.

Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Show all 7 1 /7 Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi Washington Post journalist who was critical of the Saudi regime and the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he was murdered on 2 October in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul AFP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder, with US officials claiming that he must have known of the plot AFP/Getty Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures 15 man hit squad Turkish police suspect these 15 men of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, issued 10 October, 8 days after the journalist disappeared EPA Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saud al-Qahtani Aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani is claimed to have ordered Khashoggi's murder Saud Al-Qahtani/Twitter Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb A former diplomat who often travelled with the Crown Prince, Mutreb was initially claimed to be the leader of the hit squad and is pictured here entering the Saudi consulate on the day of the murder AP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Mustafa al-Madani First implicated in the 15 CCTV photos released by the Turkish police, al-Madani was later found to have been used as a body double for Khashoggi, leaving the Saudi consulate dressed in his clothes on the day the journalist was killed CNN Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi (L) Son of the murdered journalist met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 23 October EPA

The apparent suicide is likely to deepen a diplomatic crisis between Ankara and the UAE – a close ally of Saudi Arabia – which worsened in the aftermath of Khashoggi’s murder. Turkey and US intelligence agencies believe Khashoggi was killed by a hit squad sent by the Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed Bin Salman.

Relations between the two countries were already tense due to the UAE joining Saudi Arabia and other countries in a blockade of Turkey’s ally Qatar.

Khashoggi, a well-known Saudi journalist who wrote articles that were critical of the Saudi government and the crown prince, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a team of Saudi operatives.

Saudi Arabia initially insisted that Khashoggi had left the consulate, but later admitted that the 59-year-old was killed by Saudi officials “acting outside their scope of authority”, and charged 11 people with the crime.