France arrests one accused of killing Saudi journalist Khashoggi

[ad_1]

An alleged member of the Saudi killing team sent to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris as he was about to board a flight to Riyadh.

French radio station RTL quoted unnamed officials as saying that Khaled Eid Al-Otaibi, 33, a former Saudi royal guard, was arrested on Tuesday morning on the basis of an arrest warrant from the Turkish Interpol and will appear in court on Wednesday.

His arrest and appearance in court will likely be the first time that anyone allegedly involved in the horrific 2018 murder of a Washington Post columnist in Istanbul will be held accountable.

The Saudi authorities, which last year conducted a trial of the alleged killers that was widely dismissed and described the murder as a rogue operation initiated by close associates and advisers of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.

However, US intelligence officials have claimed that Prince Mohammed likely ordered the killing. The Saudi government denied any involvement of the crown prince and rejected the report’s findings.

After more than three years of efforts by the Saudi leadership to initially deny the killing and then downplay its significance, the arrest may further damage the reputation of Prince Mohammed, who is often referred to by his initials as Mohammed bin Salman.

There is a rehabilitation of Mohammed bin Salman. “Time has passed and people are less angry about the Khashoggi case,” said Giorgio Cafiero, an analyst at Gulf State Analytics, a Washington consultancy. “But this seems to be a reminder to Mohammed bin Salman that this file is still open.”

Mr. Al-Otaibi is an alleged member of the Saudi killing team that was sent to Turkey to kidnap, kill and dismember Khashoggi. While detained under a Turkish arrest warrant, experts say Mr. Al-Otaibi is also on the wanted lists of the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

“I would be very surprised if this caused a diplomatic incident,” said Cinzia Banco, a researcher specializing in Europe-Gulf relations at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The Saudi leadership should know that everyone named in the Turkish arrest warrant is fair game in Europe and the United States.”

Mr. Al-Otaibi was placed under judicial custody by the border police at the airport. RTL reported that the alleged killer was traveling under his real name.

Under French law, the court must decide whether to honor the Turkish request for arrest and extradition.

According to RTL, Mr. Al-Otaibi will appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, where he will likely be placed in official custody pending an extradition hearing.

The unexpected arrest puts pressure on the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, which is eager to sell advanced weapons to Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia. Macron met Prince Mohammed on Saturday in Jeddah on the last leg of a two-day Gulf tour.

But this development could also help Macron, who was heavily criticized ahead of the 2022 elections for meeting Prince Mohammed.

“The whole picture of Macron is very toxic from a political point of view,” Bianco said. With this arrest, he can claim that meeting Mohammed bin Salman does not mean ignoring what happened with Khashoggi.”

[ad_2]