Saudi Arabia has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, well before of the scheduled lifting 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 Background
Almadi, seventy-five, was given 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. Two years later, 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 dual citizen and former engineering professional who had resided 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.
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 statement by Almadi's son, Ibrahim Almadi, also expressed gratitude to 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 subsequently shared on social media that his father was traveling to the US.
Wider Implications
Almadi is one of a handful of American people with dual nationality facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was coerced to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.
The case against Almadi focused 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 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 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 "distressing" and a "major error".
Diplomatic Pressure
US diplomatic efforts 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 appealed to Trump's claim that he is particularly effective in repatriating 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 investigate. A few weeks later, one of his security advisors, Gorka, met the son at the White House.
"President Trump is the president of deals and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.
