Jamal Khashoggi: Suspect in the murder of Saudi journalist arrested in France

A suspect in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France, a French judicial official has said.

The official said the suspect was being detained on Tuesday on the basis of a Turkish arrest warrant.

French radio RTL said the Saudi suspect, Khalid Aedh Al-Otaibi, was arrested at Charles de Galle airport near Paris as he was trying to board a flight to Riyadh.

Mr al-Otaibi was one of more than a dozen Saudi officials sanctioned by the US treasury in 2018 over Mr Khashoggi’s killing and dismemberment at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul that year.

The arrest comes just days after Emmanuel Macron held a face-to-face meeting in Saudi Arabia with de facto ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Macron became the first western leader to visit the country following Khashoggi's killing.

Mohammad bin Salman has denied claims he ordered the killing of the Saudi journalist.

Mr Khashoggi, a Saudi-born US journalist was a frequent critic of Mohammed bin Salman.

His body has never been found after he was murdered and dismembered by a group at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.