Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

The US has determined that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a suit implicit the execution of Jamal Khashoggi.

Mr Khashoggi, a salient professional of the authorities successful Riyadh, was murdered astatine the Saudi consulate successful Istanbul successful October 2018.

US quality has said it believes Prince Mohammed ordered the killing.

But successful tribunal filings, the US State section said helium has immunity owed to his caller relation arsenic Saudi premier minister.

"The doctrine of caput of authorities immunity is good established successful customary planetary law," said Justice Department lawyers successful a papers filed successful US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The 37-year-old was handed the relation successful September and denies immoderate relation successful the sidesplitting of Mr Khashoggi.

But the Biden medication was keen to emphasise that the ruling was not a determination of innocence.

"This is simply a ineligible determination made by the State Department nether longstanding and well-established principles of customary planetary law," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said successful a written statement. "It has thing to bash with the merits of the case."

Mr Khashoggi's ex-fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, wrote connected Twitter that "Jamal died again today" with the ruling.

Saudi Arabia said the erstwhile Washington Post writer had been killed successful a "rogue operation" by a squad of agents sent to transportation him to instrumentality to the kingdom.

However, US officials said the CIA had concluded, "with a mean to precocious grade of certainty", that MBS - arsenic the prince is known - was complicit.

The execution caused a planetary uproar and damaged the representation of Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto rule.