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Saudi Arabia has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after the kingdom's leader and prime minister met the former US president at the White House.

Legal Case Overview

Almadi, 75, was given 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets opposing the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the allegations were modified to termed "cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on departing from Saudi Arabia.

"Our family rejoices that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is at last on his way home to the United States!"

The announcement that Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who had lived in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech promoting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and financial agreements.

Diplomatic Recognition

"This moment 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 security advisory board, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," it added.

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 supporting the older Almadi's cause. He subsequently shared on social media that his father was traveling to the US.

Broader Context

Almadi is one of a handful 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 coerced to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.

The legal proceedings involving 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.

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.

Khashoggi Case

US intelligence reports released 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 "was unaware" 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 "painful" and a "major error".

Diplomatic Pressure

US diplomatic efforts to free 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 claim that he is uniquely successful in bringing back US citizens held overseas.

When questioned by journalists 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 son at the White House.

"President Trump is the president of deals and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.