New York's Law Department and US Department of State said international agreements give him diplomatic immunity protecting his right to privacy even after death.
A Brazilian diplomat, Eduardo Saboia, has admitted to using his diplomatic immunity to drive the Bolivian senator, Roger Pinto, across the border. Julia Carneiro reports.
The Indian foreign ministry said Majed Hassan Ashoor, first secretary at the Saudi embassy, had been protected by diplomatic immunity, and they were unable to question him.
Their invasion of the embassy violated a principle of diplomatic immunity that even the most radical and hostile governments have professed to respect.