Jamal Khashoggi murder | One of the suspects caught in Paris

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France has detained one of the Saudi Arabian suspects in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

As reported by Anadolu Agency (AA), Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi (33) was detained by border police as he was boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, according to local media, citing judicial sources.

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in İstanbul's Beşiktaş district on October 2, 2018. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially confirmed on October 20 that the journalist was killed inside the consulate.

Releasing a statement about the issue, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said, "The arrest of Khaled al-Otaibi, a former member of the Saudi royal guard, in Paris today on suspicion of involvement in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is excellent news."

According to the RSF, "al-Otaibi was arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Turkey, which suspects him of participating in Khashoggi's murder."

RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire has also said: "It is excellent news that the French police did not turn a blind eye to the presence in France of Khaled al-Otaibi, a suspected member of the team that carried out the Khashoggi murder, and that they went ahead and arrested him.

"Finally, one of the protagonists will be able to talk. Until now, we've had only a sham trial behind closed doors in Saudi Arabia and proceedings in Turkey with no defendants aside from secondary figures. We call on the French judiciary to keep him in France for as long as it takes to shed light on his involvement in the crimes of which he is suspected."

Excellente nouvelle que la police française n'ait pas fermé les yeux sur la présence sur le territoire national de Khaled Al-Otaibi, un des membres présumés du commando "Khashoggi", et ait procédé à son arrestation. Enfin un protagoniste qui pourra parler. https://t.co/a4j2FCl0wL pic.twitter.com/5H8aPImUV1
— Christophe Deloire (@cdeloire) December 7, 2021

What happened?

Journalist Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Beşiktaş, İstanbul on October 2, 2018. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially confirmed on October 20 that the journalist was killed inside the consulate.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office released a press statement on October 31, giving the following information:

"Jamal Khashoggi went to the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for paperwork related to his marriage on October 2, 2018. As soon as he entered the consulate building, in a premeditated murder, he was suffocated to death and his body was dismembered and destroyed."

About Jamal Khashoggi

Journalist and writer. Khashoggi was known for his opposing views about the Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. He was a columnist at the Washington Post.

After he expressed his criticism about the reforms introduced by bin Salman and drew reactions, he left Saudi Arabia in 2017 and moved to the US.

He worked as Director-General and Editor-in-Chief at the Al Arab Media Group. He was also a media consultant at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in England.

(KÖ/SD)