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Saudi Arabia has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, five months ahead of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after Saudi crown prince and head of government met the former US president at the White House.

Legal Case Background

Almadi, seventy-five, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. Two years later, the allegations were modified to termed "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to 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 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 delivered a speech touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals.

Political 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 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 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.

Wider Implications

Almadi is one of a small number of American people with dual nationality facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on online dissent. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was pressured to sign papers giving up 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 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 denied any wrongdoing. He said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "took appropriate measures" to examine Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "major error".

International Efforts

US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to return to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged 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 wasn't aware 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 loves to do business with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.