US court dismisses suit against Saudi prince in killing

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a U.S. lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Tuesday’s ruling bows to the Biden administration’s insistence that the prince was legally immune in the case. Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge John D. Bates heeded the U.S. government’s request shielding Prince Mohammed from the case under the longstanding principle of limited immunity for heads of government. That’s despite what Bates called “credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder.” Saudi officials killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had written critically of Prince Mohammed.