Jamal Khashoggi murder: France releases suspect after inquiry, admits identity mistaken

In a key development, French authorities on Wednesday, 8th December, informed that a man arrested at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris for alleged link to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was misidentified. Saudi officials confirmed that the man was misidentified and later released, according to AP. The Paris General Prosecutor's office issued a short statement on Wednesday after 24 hours of interrogation. 

Saudi man suspect in Jamal Khashoggi's murder released after 24 hours 

In a statement issued on 8th December, the Paris General Prosecutor’s office informed that the man arrested on Tuesday was not Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi. French authorities revealed that the man was not wanted under a 2019 Turkish arrest warrant, as per AP report. The Paris General Prosecutor's office without elaborating further mentioned that the arrest warrant was not applicable to him.

The local media had reported that the authorities misidentified the person as the detained man had an identical name to al-Otaibi. The latest development regarding freeing Khalid Aedh al-Otaibhi was confirmed by the Saudi embassy in Paris. The embassy reiterated that the man was a case of mistaken identity and "had nothing to do with the case in question."With the suspicion of killing the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a man was apprehended in France on Tuesday, AP reported citing a French judicial official.

The official further mentioned that the suspect was arrested based on a Turkish arrest warrant and requested not be named as per the French justice system’s customary practices. French radio RTL reported that Saudi native Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi was apprehended while he was attempting to board a flight to Riyadh at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. On Tuesday evening, French officials were confirming the suspect's identification. 

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi 

A journalist named Jamal Khashoggi was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee, reported AP. According to Turkish officials, Khashoggi had written critically about Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, he was killed by a team of Saudi agents. The Saudi officials had reportedly held a closed-door trial, however, they have not revealed the name of the accused. 

Inputs from AP

Image: AP