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Saudi Arabia has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the planned removal 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 critical of 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 declaration that Almadi, a person with dual nationality and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be allowed to depart the country came after the US president gave an address touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals.

Diplomatic Acknowledgments

"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work 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 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 later posted on social media that his father was traveling to the US.

Wider Implications

Almadi is one of a small number of American dual citizens facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on digital criticism. 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 alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and criticized the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.

Additionally, he supported the rededication 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 published by the Biden administration later concluded that the crown prince had authorized 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 "took appropriate measures" to examine Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "huge mistake".

International Efforts

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 assertion 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 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.