US bars ex-Saudi diplomat from entering US over Khashoggi murder

The United States on Tuesday barred from entering the country Mohammed al-Otaibi, who served as the Saudi consul general in Istanbul when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his consulate in 2018, the US State Department said.

"The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was a heinous, unacceptable crime," the State Department said in a statement, adding that it continued to urge the Saudi government to conduct a "full, fair and transparent" trial to hold accountable those responsible for the journalist's death.