🔗 Share this article The Kingdom Frees US Retiree Imprisoned For Negative Social Media Posts Saudi Arabia has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, well before of the scheduled lifting 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 imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. Two years later, the charges were reduced to so-called "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia. "We are thrilled that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is at last on his way home to the United States!" The declaration that Almadi, a person with dual nationality and former engineering professional who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be allowed to depart the country came after the US president gave an address promoting US-Saudi ties, including weapons deals and investment deals. Diplomatic Recognition "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 national security council, as well as everyone at the state department," it added. The statement 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 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 crackdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was coerced 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 criticized 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. Khashoggi Case US intelligence reports released by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had approved 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 "took appropriate measures" 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 return to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's assertion that he is uniquely successful in repatriating US citizens held 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 younger Almadi at the White House. "President Trump is the president of deals and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.