The Kingdom Frees US Retiree Imprisoned For Negative Social Media Posts
Saudi Arabia has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, well before of the planned removal of travel restrictions and a day after the kingdom's leader and head of government met the former US president at the White House.
Judicial Proceedings Overview
Almadi, seventy-five, was sentenced to 19 years of incarceration in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the allegations were modified to termed "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on departing from Saudi Arabia.
"Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is at last on his way home to the United States!"
The announcement that Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president gave an address touting US-Saudi ties, including weapons deals and financial agreements.
Diplomatic Acknowledgments
"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the national security council, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," it added.
The declaration by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also thanked various non-profit organizations, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for backing the elder Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was on his way to the US.
Broader Context
Almadi is one of a small number of American people with dual nationality facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on digital criticism. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was coerced to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.
The legal proceedings involving Almadi centered on social media posts in which he was alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
Additionally, he supported the rededication of a street in the US capital after Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and Washington Post columnist killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Related Incident
US intelligence reports published by the Biden administration later concluded that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "capture or kill" Khashoggi.
Questioned regarding the killing, Trump said the crown prince "knew nothing" of Khashoggi's killing. The Saudi crown prince has maintained his innocence. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "took appropriate measures" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "huge mistake".
International Efforts
US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's assertion that he is uniquely successful in repatriating US citizens held overseas.
When asked by a reporter in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but vowed to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, Gorka, met the son at the White House.
"President Trump is the master negotiator and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.
