Saudi Journalist Khashoggi Assassination Suspect Arrested at French Airport

Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi (left), who was assassinated in Turkey in August 2018, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who is suspected to be behind the assassination [Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] AFP reported on the 7th (local time) that one of the suspects involved in the assassination of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in Turkey in October 2018, was arrested at a French airport. Khashoggi was assassinated after criticizing the Saudi royal family, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is suspected to be behind the assassination.

French police arrested Khalid Alotaibi (33) at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris on the same day based on a warrant issued by Turkish authorities. Alotaibi is known as a former Saudi royal guard presumed to have participated in Khashoggi's assassination. He was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the airport.

According to sources, Alotaibi is listed on the sanctions lists of the United States and the United Kingdom for his involvement in Khashoggi's murder, and his name is also on the French wanted list.

BBC UK cited a UN report investigating the Khashoggi case in 2019, reporting that Alotaibi was seen accompanying Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the United States in 2017.

French authorities are detaining Alotaibi to verify his identity and plan to proceed with judicial procedures to extradite him to Turkey.

Turkish prosecutors have indicted 26 suspects in Khashoggi's murder, and last year, a Saudi court sentenced five individuals accused of killing Khashoggi to prison terms ranging from 7 to 20 years.

Khashoggi's fianc?e Hatice Cengiz welcomed the news of the arrest, saying, "This is an important step toward justice for Khashoggi by arresting one of the murderers." She added, "Above all, those who carried out this crime must not be used to defend the higher-ups, including Crown Prince bin Salman, who ordered the brutal killing of Khashoggi," and emphasized, "Those who gave the orders must also face legal judgment."

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), headquartered in Paris, stated in a press release on the same day, "We had already reported Alotaibi to French investigative authorities in 2019, but the investigation was closed as there was no trace of him being in France." They explained that they will resume the reporting process with this arrest and proceed with another criminal complaint against Alotaibi.

Agnes Callamard, former UN Special Rapporteur who investigated the Khashoggi case, tweeted, "This arrest will be an important breakthrough in the pursuit of justice for the Khashoggi case," but also noted that further investigation into the identity of the arrested suspect is necessary. She added, "If the suspect is indeed the same person listed on multiple sanctions lists, including my report at the time, he was present at the consulate, the scene of the incident."

On the other hand, a Saudi government official claimed, "There was a mistake in identity verification," asserting that the Khashoggi murderer is currently serving a prison sentence in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Embassy in Paris issued a statement on the same day, calling for the immediate release of the arrested suspect, stating that he is unrelated to the case.

Khashoggi, who had sought asylum in the United States and worked as a columnist for The Washington Post (WP), was killed by a Saudi assassination team after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain marriage-related documents. U.S. intelligence agencies released a report stating that Crown Prince bin Salman approved Khashoggi's detention or killing, but Saudi Arabia denied the allegations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.