Dec 8, 2021: French police have arrested a Saudi man on suspicion of involvement in the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashkji, as Saudi officials say they believe it was a case of misidentification.

Judicial and airport sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the man was detained by border police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Turkey and he was arrested by Charles de Gaulle in Paris. He was about to board a flight from the airport to Riyadh.

On Tuesday, investigators were trying to confirm that the man with the passport in Khalid al-Otaibi’s name was in fact a suspect with the same name as Turkey had sought and the US has sanctioned for the brutal killing of the journalist.

The Saudi embassy in Paris issued a statement saying the detainee had “nothing to do with the case” and demanded his immediate release. A Saudi security source added that “Khalid Al-Otaibi” was a very common name in the kingdom, and that Al-Otaibi was in fact spending time in a Saudi prison with “all defendants in the case”.

Khalid al-Otaibi is one of 26 Saudis charged in absentia by Turkey in October 2020 over the murder. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. Two of the 26 people being tried in absentia in Turkey are former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). No Saudi official in Turkey has personally faced justice for the killings. Al-Otaibi is one of 17 people nominated by the US Treasury in 2018 for sanctions on his role in the assassination.

If confirmed as the suspected assassination team member, he will appear before French prosecutors.

Earlier, an Interpol Red Notice had been issued at Turkey’s request came up as the traveller was passing through passport control.

Checks were still under way on Tuesday evening to ensure his identity is correct and that the arrest warrant applies to him, another source close to the case added, noting that his detention can last up to 48 hours.

He will have the right to challenge extradition to Turkey. If he does, the French judiciary will have to decide whether to detain him on a formal request for extradition to Turkey or release him on the condition that he will not leave France.

It will take weeks or months for the court to decide whether to extradite him to Turkey against his will. In September 2020, a Saudi court overturned five death sentences handed down after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia, which sentenced the defendant to 20 years in prison.