Man Arrested At Airport In France Is Not Former Saudi Royal Guard Suspected In Khashoggi Murder – Update

Tom Tapp
·2 min read
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UPDATED: A Saudi national suspected of playing a part in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was detained by French police, emphasis on “suspected.”

Today, Paris prosecutors said the person detained was not a former member of the Saudi Royal Guard who participated in the murder of the Washington Post contributor in 2018. A press report said today that “It is believed that he shared the same name as the wanted man.”

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PREVIOUSLY on Dec. 7: A Saudi national suspected of playing a part in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been detained by French police, according to multiple reports. The man in custody is a former member of the Saudi Royal Guard. He was arrested based on a Turkish arrest warrant, according to AP.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was killed in Istanbul on October 2 2018 when he went to the Saudi consulate there for marriage documents. Saudi government agents killed him inside the consulate. His disappearance sparked worldwide outrage at Saudi officials, specifically Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The man detained today is 33-year-old Khaled Aedh Alotaibi, per multiple reports. He was arrested at an airport trying to board a plane for Saudi Arabia. He is among 26 Saudis wanted by Turkey for the Khashoggi killing and one of more than a dozen Saudis sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 over the journalist’s murder, reported AP.

In a 2019 60 Minutes interview with Norah O’Donnell, the Saudi Crown Prince denied that he was involved in the murder. He did, however, admit the crime was “committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

In 2019, a Saudi Arabian court sentenced five people to death on charges related to the killing.

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