ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish official says Sean Penn is there working on a documentary about the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkey’s president, said Thursday that the two-time Oscar winner interviewed him in Ankara as part of his “preliminary preparations” for the documentary before leaving for Istanbul where he was to meet with Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancee.

The Washington Post columnist who was critical of the Saudi crown prince was killed by Saudi agents on Oct. 2 after arriving to handle routine paperwork. Aktay, who was a friend of Khashoggi’s, was the first to alert authorities that the journalist had disappeared inside the consulate.

Turkish media showed Penn filming in front of the consulate building Wednesday.