🔗 Share this article The Kingdom Releases American Retiree Jailed Over Negative Tweets 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 Donald Trump at the White House. Legal Case Overview Almadi, 75, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the charges were reduced to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on departing from Saudi Arabia. "Our family is overjoyed 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 promoting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals. Diplomatic Recognition "This moment 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 security advisory board, 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 supporting the older Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was on his way to the US. Broader Context Almadi is one of a small number of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured to sign papers giving up his US citizenship. The case against Almadi focused on social media posts in which he was alleged to have urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes. Additionally, he supported 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 concluded that the crown prince had authorized of a plan to "capture or kill" 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 "took appropriate measures" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "major error". International Efforts 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 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 promised to investigate. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, 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.