World enews: France arrests one of suspected killers of Saudi journalist Khashoggi

One of the suspected killers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested at the Charles de Gaulle International airport near Paris as he was about to board a flight to Riyadh.

French RTL radio cited unnamed officials as saying Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi, a 33-year-old former Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia, was arrested on Tuesday. He is believed to have been involved in the killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

The arrest of a suspect linked to the killing was confirmed to Reuters by a French police source.

Mr Otaibi, an alleged member of the Saudi kill team dispatched to Istanbul to abduct, murder, and dismember Khashoggi, was arrested on an Interpol warrant issued by Turkey, according to RTL.

He has been placed in judicial detention border police at the airport. The suspected assassin was traveling under his real name, RTL reported.

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

According to RTL, Mr Otaibi will appear before the public prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, when he will likely be placed into formal custody pending an extradition hearing.

The unexpected arrest puts pressure on the French government of President Emmanuel Macron, which is eager to sell advanced weapons to Gulf monarchies, including Saudi Arabia.

Mr Macron met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday in Jiddah for the final leg of a two-day Gulf tour.