A US court has dismissed a lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In November, the US Department of Justice recommended that the court grant Bin Salman immunity in the case. The court followed the recommendation and dismissed the lawsuit, according to court documents. In his reasoning, Judge John Bates referred to the arguments of the US government and Bin Salman's "immunity as head of state".

At the same time, Bates raised the issue of "court unease" over the Justice Department's recommendation in his argument. This unease stems not only from "credible allegations" about the prince's involvement in the assassination of Khashoggi, the judge wrote, but also from the timing of Bin Salman's appointment as Saudi Arabia's prime minister.

Fiancee accuses Biden of complicity

The fiancee of the murdered Saudi government critic and journalist Khashoggi, Hatice Cengiz, appeared as a plaintiff. After the murder four years ago, she filed a lawsuit in the United States against the Saudi crown prince and others whom she alleges were involved in the reporter's killing.

Among other things, Khashoggi worked as a columnist for the renowned US newspaper "Washington Post". Cengiz accused US President Joe Biden of having saved the "murderer" and "criminal" Bin Salman by granting him immunity, thereby making himself complicit.

US intelligence has accused Mohammed bin Salman of being responsible for the killing of Khashoggi by an assassin at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The crown prince denies being the mastermind. The murder temporarily isolated the heir to the throne internationally and plunged relations between the USA and many other Western countries and Saudi Arabia into a crisis. However, Mohammed bin Salman was spared the sanctions that Biden's government imposed on Saudi Arabia.