French police on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of being a member of the hit squad that murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, multiple sources close to the case said, according to AFP.
Investigators were seeking to confirm that the man arrested carrying a passport in the name of Khalid Alotaibi is indeed the man by the same name sought by Turkey and sanctioned by the US over the killing of Khashoggi, the sources added.
The man was detained by border police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Turkey as he was about to board a flight to Riyadh from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, judicial and airport sources told AFP, asking not to be named.
A Saudi official, asked by AFP about Alotaibi, asked for more time to respond.
Khalid Alotaibi is one of 26 Saudis charged in absentia by Turkey over the killing in a trial that got underway in October 2020. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
He is also one of 17 people that the US Treasury designated for sanctions in 2018 over their role in the murder.
Checks were still underway on Tuesday evening to ensure his identity is correct and that the arrest warrant applies to him, a source close to the case said, noting that his detention can last up to 48 hours.
If confirmed as the suspected assassination team member, he will then appear before French prosecutors.
He has the right to challenge extradition to Turkey. If he does, the French judiciary must decide whether to keep him in detention pending a formal Turkish extradition request, or to free him on condition that he does not leave France.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. Saudi Arabia admitted that Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, after initially denying Turkish claims that he was murdered.
An intelligence report released in February by the Biden administration said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved Khashoggi’s murder.
US President Joe Biden has worked to recalibrate US relations with Saudi Arabia after the friendly ties his predecessor, Donald Trump, had with Saudi officials.
Khashoggi’s murder had resulted in tensions between lawmakers and the White House. Trump had reaffirmed his support for Saudi Arabia, despite the murder of Khashoggi, insisting the US-Saudi Arabian alliance is beneficial not only for American interests, but also for those of Israel.
Lawmakers from both parties, meanwhile, had called for a strong US response to Khashoggi's murder.