New information regarding the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi has just been released.
According to reports, Khashoggi was a known critic of the Saudi Arabian government. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28, 2018. While there, he was murdered and then dismembered by individuals working for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman approved journalist's murder
Salman was found responsible for Khashoggi's murder, but he was not charged with anything. His former personal security official, Khalid Aedh Al-Otaibi, was reportedly involved in the journalist's killing.
After three years, Al-Otaibi was arrested at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris while he was about to board his flight to Riyadh. Turkish authorities reportedly filed an arrest warrant for Al-Otaibi, but French officials were the ones that handed him the warrant.
According to the Huffington Post, 26 other Saudi Arabians are wanted in Turkey for the murder of Khashoggi. Al-Otaibi is also one of the 12 Saudi officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 for the journalist's death.
Khashoggi's former fiancée welcomed the news of Al-Otaibi's arrest and said that he should be punished for his contribution to the journalist's murder. She also said that France should try Al-Otaibi for his crime or extradite him to a country where proper investigation and prosecution could take place.
But in a shocking twist, the Saudi Embassy in Paris released a statement saying that Al-Otaibi had no involvement in Khashoggi's murder.
Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi a victim of mistaken identity
According to Al Jazeera, a security source in Saudi Arabia said that the Al-Otaibi surname is very common in the kingdom. They also said that the man that authorities were looking for had been in prison in Saudi Arabia together with the other defendants in the case.
An investigation is currently taking place regarding the man's identity. And if his involvement in the murder of Khashoggi will be proven, he will appear before French prosecutors in a trial.
Al-Otaibi can reportedly challenge extradition to Turkey. However, the proceedings will possibly take several weeks or months before the court can rule out whether he should be handed to Turkey against his will.
A US intelligence report released earlier this year revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Salman approved the murder of Khashoggi. However, the government has also denied the allegations.
"Media reports suggesting that a person who was implicated in the crime against Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France are false. This is a case of mistaken identity. Those convicted of the crime are currently serving their sentences in Saudi Arabia," a source told Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron meets with Saudi crown prince
Khashoggi died at the age of 59. He was a prominent journalist who covered stories regarding Osama Bin Laden, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and more.
This week's arrest came in the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Salman. During his interview, Macron said that he and Salman talked about everything, including discussions on human rights, according to the BBC.
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