French police detain Saudi suspect in Khashoggi murder case
Paris, Dec 7 (EFE).- French authorities on Tuesday detained a suspect wanted in connection with the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi was arrested at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle international airport, where he was due to board a flight to Saudi Arabia, French broadcaster RTL reported Tuesday.
He is among 20 individuals sought by Interpol for their alleged involvement in the brutal killing of Khashoggi, which took place after the journalist entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
According to RTL, which broke the news, Al-Otaibi is a 33-year-old former Saudi royal guard who was an alleged member of the commando ordered to assassinate Khashoggi.
The arrest comes just days after French president Emmanuel Macron visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, entered the Saudi consulate for marriage paperwork.
The whereabouts of his remains are unknown to this day.
On 31 October 2018, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor concluded that Khashoggi was asphyxiated and his body dismembered and disposed of.
The CIA has blamed the Saudi crown prince for the killing, saying the orders came from high up in the Saudi regime.
Bin Salman has denied any involvement in the case, but Saudi authorities acknowledged that government agents had carried out the assassination. The Saudi justice system has convicted five people of involvement in the murder, although there are few details about the case. EFE
