Saudi tourist mistaken for Jamal Khashoggi suspect says he was like ‘animal in zoo’ in French custody
- The man, who shares a name with the Khalid Alotaibi linked to the journalist’s murder, was arrested despite having a different date of birth and passport number
- A Saudi newspaper called for an apology from the French government, saying the man’s release was ‘not a sufficient step’
The Saudi national arrested in Paris this week on suspicion of being involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was just a tourist who had been holidaying with a friend in France, an official familiar with the investigation said.
After his return to the kingdom, the man gave an interview to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ekhbariya television aired on Thursday.
“They put me in a room … it had a lot of glass like the ones used for criminals to observe them and there wasn’t good ventilation,” said the main, dressed in a casual black jumper and a black cap. “Through the glass, they were watching me as if I were an animal in the zoo.”
The man, who was freed on Wednesday, was detained after his passport was scanned as he passed through immigration at the French capital’s main international airport on his way out of the country. The official said the man was travelling on a valid visa.
The man shared the same nationality, given name and family name and year of birth as Khalid Alotaibi, a former member of the Saudi Royal Guard identified in US and British sanctions lists, and a UN-commissioned report, as being involved in Khashoggi’s 2018 murder.