Saudi Arabia has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, well before of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after the kingdom's leader and prime minister 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 critical of the Riyadh government. Two years later, the charges were reduced to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia.
"Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States!"
The declaration that Almadi, a dual citizen and former engineering professional who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech promoting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and financial agreements.
Political Recognition
"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are extremely thankful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the national security council, as well as everyone at the state department," 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 subsequently shared on social media that his father was on his way to the US.
Broader Context
Almadi is one of a handful of American people with dual nationality facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on online dissent. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was pressured to sign papers giving up his US citizenship.
The case against Almadi focused on social media posts in which he was alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and criticized the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.
Additionally, he expressed approval for 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.
Khashoggi Case
US intelligence reports published by the Biden administration later concluded that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "detain or eliminate" 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 "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".
International Efforts
US pressure to release Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's assertion that he is uniquely successful in repatriating US citizens detained overseas.
When questioned by journalists in May about the case, Trump said he wasn't aware about it but promised to investigate. A few weeks later, one of his security advisors, 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.
