Saudi Prince’s New Role Gives Immunity on Khashoggi, Lawyer Says

A lawyer for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a judge to dismiss a case accusing him of ordering the killing of columnist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi, arguing that his new role as prime minister grants him legal immunity.

A Sept. 27 order naming Prince Mohammed prime minister “leaves no doubt that the Crown Prince is entitled to status-based immunity,” Prince Mohammed’s lawyer Michael Kellogg said in a filing Monday in District of Columbia federal court. Kellogg said the court “should dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims against the Crown Prince for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.”

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin ...