Biden administration moves to protect Saudi crown prince from legal action over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

State department says decision ‘purely a legal determination’

The Joe Biden administration on Thursday declared that the office held by the Saudi crown prince should shield him from legal actions for his alleged role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in a U-turn from his previous trail of denunciations.

The administration insisted that Mohammed bin Salman’s high position should provide him immunity from the lawsuit filed by the slain Washington Post columnist's wife and the rights group – Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn).

According to the US State Department, the administration's decision to protect the crown prince from American courts was “purely a legal determination”.