🔗 Share this article

The Kingdom has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, five months ahead of the planned removal of travel bans and a day after the kingdom's leader and head of government met Donald Trump at the White House.

Judicial Proceedings Background

Almadi, seventy-five, was given 19 years of incarceration in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the allegations were modified to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on departing from 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 announcement that Almadi, a person with dual nationality 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 gave an address promoting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and financial agreements.

Diplomatic Acknowledgments

"This moment would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work of his administration. We are extremely thankful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the security advisory board, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," the statement continued.

The declaration by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also thanked various charitable groups, including the James Foley Fund and Hostages America, and House speaker Mike Johnson for supporting the elder 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 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 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.

Additionally, he expressed approval for the renaming of a street in the US capital after Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and Washington Post columnist murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Related Incident

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

Asked about the killing, Trump said the crown prince "knew nothing" of Khashoggi's killing. The Saudi crown prince has denied any wrongdoing. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "major error".

Diplomatic Pressure

US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's assertion that he is particularly effective in bringing back US citizens detained 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 younger Almadi at the White House.

"President Trump is the master negotiator and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.