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Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is accused of murdering Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a lawyer for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in court on Monday. Jamal Khashoggi, who is facing a U.S. lawsuit over the killing, said in court that the crown prince’s appointment as prime minister last week secured him immunity from prosecution.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which U.S. intelligence believes was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler for many years.
The prince denied ordering the killing of Khashoggi, but later admitted it happened “under my supervision”.
His elderly father, King Salman, named him prime minister in a royal decree last week, a Saudi official said, in line with duties the crown prince has already fulfilled.
“There is no doubt that the crown prince is entitled to status-based immunity,” lawyers for the crown prince said in a petition asking the federal district court in Washington to dismiss the case.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who collided with the crown prince during a July visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss energy and security, told Prince Mohammed he believed he was responsible for the killing of Khashoggi.
He said Prince Mohammed denied involvement and claimed those involved had been held accountable.
Khashoggi, who has criticized the crown prince’s policies in a Washington Post column, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed to marry Turkish citizen Hatis Zengis.
The lawsuit, filed jointly by Cengiz and a human rights group founded by Khashoggi, seeks unspecified damages against the crown prince, known in the West as MbS. It also named more than 20 other Saudis as co-defendants.
It accused MbS, his co-defendants and others of a conspiracy to “permanently silence Mr Khashoggi” after discovering that Khashoggi planned to use the group as a “platform to support democratic reform and promote human rights”.
The court has asked the Justice Department for an opinion on whether Prince Mohammed enjoys immunity and set an Oct. 3 deadline for a response.
Following the prince’s appointment as prime minister last week, the ministry said on Friday it was seeking a 45-day extension to prepare its response to the court “in light of these changing circumstances”.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge John Bates granted an extension request but said there was no compelling evidence that it would be the only extension he would allow.
Bates said in a court filing that the U.S. should file any declarations of interest by Nov. 17.
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