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The Kingdom has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the planned removal of travel bans and a day after the kingdom's leader and prime minister met Donald Trump at the White House.

Legal Case Overview

Almadi, 75, 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 termed "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 person with dual nationality and former engineering professional who had resided 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.

Political Acknowledgments

"This day 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 national security council, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," the statement continued.

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 elder 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 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 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 killed 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.

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 "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "distressing" and a "major error".

International Efforts

US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's assertion that he is uniquely successful in repatriating US citizens held overseas.

When questioned by journalists in May about the case, Trump said he wasn't aware about it but promised 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.