By Muhammad Saud

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — It never crossed the Saudi youth Ahmed Aqeel Al-Dhufairi’s mind that his flight to Turkey a year ago, as a tourist, would land him in a hot spot today. Several Turkish and Qatari media had published his picture, taken during his stay in Turkey, and that was used to embroil him in the case of the Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Al-Dhufairi was shocked by the many phone calls to his mobile after his picture was published along with others in the list of 15 people the Turkish and Qatari media dragged into the Khashoggi case. However, Al-Dhufairi’s published picture bore another name, that of Badr Lafi Al-Otaibi.

Speaking to Okaz, Al-Dhufairi said: “I have not traveled to Turkey since a year. Not only this, but my last journey to Turkey was at the end of October last year. I spent a few days there. I have proof of that in my passport. My photo was used by the Turkish media during the past few days in the case of the disappearance of Khashoggi.”

He added that he is a student of Hafr Al-Batin University and is not interested in politics. He has confidence in his country’s government to restore his rights, as the publishing of his photos in the media with the intention of maligning him has caused him and his country harm.

He added that there was a big reaction by many Gulf tweeters after the publishing of a clarification on his picture. He stressed that this confirms that the story being circulated by the Turkish media is a lie.

Al-Dhufairi stressed that the Turkish media’s lie in publishing a fabricated list of suspects, is summarized by his story, as his picture has been published under another person’s name. Furthermore, Al-Dhufairi’s picture is old.