Jamal Khashoggi’s US lawyer sentenced to three years following detention in UAE

An American lawyer who defended murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been detained in the UAE, sparking further controversy around President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East.

Asim Ghafoor, a US citizen and civil rights attorney from Virginia, was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while travelling to Istanbul for a family wedding, according to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

The human rights group said Mr Ghafoor is now being held in a detention facility in Abu Dhabi on charges related to an in absentia conviction for money laundering.

Mr Ghafoor had no prior knowledge of any conviction, DAWN said in a statement on Friday.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi – a The Washington Post journalist and outspoken critic of the Saudi government – was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

US officials said that the murder was carried out by a team of intelligence operatives with ties to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – known as MBS – before his body was dismembered with a bone saw.

The Saudi Arabian government initially denied any involvement in the killing before going on to claim that the operatives killed him accidentally while trying to extradite him to Saudi Arabia.

US intelligence agencies later concluded that MBS had ordered his killing.

MBS has long denied any responsibility – a denial he continued to stick to when he came face to face with President Joe Biden on Friday.

MBS has said that Saudi Arabia cannot increase its oil production significantly, after President Joe Biden met with the crown prince in efforts to tackle sky-high gas prices back in the US.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at the Gulf Cooperation Council on Saturday that his oil-rich nation was almost at its limit of petroleum production and cannot produce more than 13 million barrels a day.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, Saudi Arabia is currently producing around 10.2 million barrels of crude oil a day.

His comments come after Mr Biden told reporters that MBS had agreed to bolster its oil production – a move that will ease gas prices for Americans – during their controversial meeting on Friday.

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fired back at Joe Biden with America’s own controversies when the US president confronted him over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it has been revealed.

A source familiar with Friday’s controversial meeting between the two leaders told CNN that the crown prince, known as MBS, responded by bringing up the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and incidents where US soldiers abused prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib detention centre.

The source said that MBS told Mr Biden that the two incidents reflected badly on the US.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

President Joe Biden posed for a “family photo” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just hours after the pair exchanged harsh words over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The president stood shoulder to shoulder with the crown prince, known as MBS, along with other Middle East leaders on Saturday, before he boarded Air Force One and left the region.

In the photos, Mr Biden stood with his hands clasped in front of him with MBS to his right. At one point, the two leaders appeared to exchange words.

They were joined for the photo call by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi; Jordan’s King Abdullah II; Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani; Kuwait’s Crown Prince Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah; Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhemi; United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Asaad bin Tariq al-Said, a special representative for the Sultan of Oman.

The so-called “family photo” comes after Friday’s meeting between Mr Biden and MBS where the US president said he confronted the Saudi crown prince over his role in Khashoggi’s death.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

The Israeli military launched missiles along the Gaza Strip just hours after President Joe Biden left the country.

On Saturday morning, Israel targeted what it said was a Hamas military site early, striking an underground complex containing raw materials used in the production of rockets.

Israwli officials said that it launched the strike in response to two rocket attacks overnight which set off air raid sirens but caused on injuries or damage.

Hours earlier, Mr Biden had oncluded a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

MBS has said that Saudi Arabia cannot increase its oil production significantly, after President Joe Biden met with the crown prince in efforts to tackle sky-high gas prices back in the US.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at the Gulf Cooperation Council on Saturday that his oil-rich nation was almost at its limit of petroleum production and cannot produce more than 13 million barrels a day.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, Saudi Arabia is currently producing around 10.2 million barrels of crude oil a day.

His comments come after Mr Biden told reporters that MBS had agreed to bolster its oil production – a move that will ease gas prices for Americans – during their controversial meeting on Friday.

President Joe Biden came under fire on Friday when he was caught on camera greeting the Saudi crown prince with a casual fist bump.

US intelligence found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – aka MBS – was responsible for ordering the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Watch the awkward meeting between Mr Biden and MBS below:

President Joe Biden said that he confronted MBS about Jamal Khashoggis’ murder during their closed-door meeting on Friday.

“With respect to the murder of Kashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time, and what I think of it now,” said Mr Biden.

“I made my view crystal clear... for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and with who I am.”

Watch Mr Biden’s comments below:

President Joe Biden has especially come under fire for his meeting with MBS – and the friendly looking fist-bump – given it marks a major departure from his comments during his 2020 campaign trail.

During his race for the White House, Mr Biden promised to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the world stage after US intelligence found that MBS ordered the execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Watch Mr Biden’s past comments about MBS below: