Reports say one of the suspects in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is being held in Paris | Jamal Khashoggi

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French police have arrested a former member of the Saudi royal guard suspected of involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khalid Ayed al-Otaibi was said to have been detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris as he was about to board a flight to the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Al-Otaibi, 33, was selected as one of the “commandos” at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was murdered on October 2, 2018. He was on the Interpol red list after an arrest warrant was issued by Turkey. And he was traveling under his real name, according to French radio station RTL, which debunked the story.

He is expected to appear before a judge within the next few hours, where he will be offered the option of being transferred to Turkey or appealing the arrest warrant and placing him in police custody pending his extradition.

Al-Otaibi was among 17 people sanctioned by the United States for their suspected role in Khashoggi’s murder.

The arrest came days after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the United Arab Emirates and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is accused of ordering the murder of Khashoggi, a former Middle East Eye and Washington Post columnist. A fierce critic of the Saudi regime.

An investigation by the United Nations and US intelligence agencies concluded that the operation was almost certainly signed off by the crown prince. Riyadh denies that Prince Mohammed was aware of the plot or the failed cover-up.

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