The United States on Tuesday barred Mohammed al Otaibi from entering the country.
He served as the Saudi consul general in Istanbul when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his consulate in 2018, the State Department said.
“The murder of Khashoggi was a heinous, unacceptable crime,” the Department said in a statement.
The US urged the Saudi government to conduct a “full, fair and transparent” trial to hold accountable those responsible for the journalist’s death.
Khashoggi was a U.S. resident and a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his killing inside the Saudi consulate caused a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince’s image.
