The Kingdom Releases US Retiree Imprisoned For Negative Tweets

The Kingdom 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 Donald Trump at the White House.

Judicial Proceedings Overview

Almadi, seventy-five, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. Two years later, the charges were reduced to termed "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia.

"Our family rejoices that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States!"

The declaration that Almadi, a person with dual nationality and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and financial agreements.

Diplomatic Recognition

"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 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 older Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was on his way to the US.

Wider Implications

Almadi is one of a handful of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on digital criticism. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.

The case against Almadi centered on social media posts in which he was accused of urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.

More controversially, 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.

Khashoggi Case

US intelligence reports released by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "detain or eliminate" Khashoggi.

Asked about the killing, Trump said the crown prince "was unaware" 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".

Diplomatic Pressure

US pressure to release Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's assertion that he is particularly effective in repatriating US citizens detained overseas.

When questioned by journalists 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 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 secure your father's release," Johnson said.