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Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, five months ahead of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after Saudi crown prince and head of government met the former US president at the White House.

Judicial Proceedings Background

Almadi, seventy-five, was given 19 years of incarceration in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. After 24 months, the charges were reduced to termed "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia.

"Our family is overjoyed 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 retired engineer who had resided in the US since the 1970s, would be free to leave the country came after the US president delivered a speech touting US-Saudi ties, including arms sales and investment deals.

Diplomatic Acknowledgments

"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 state department," the statement continued.

The statement 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 backing the older Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was on his way to the US.

Wider Implications

Almadi is one of a handful of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on digital criticism. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured to sign papers renouncing 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 faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.

Additionally, he expressed approval for the renaming 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 published 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 "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 "major error".

International Efforts

US diplomatic efforts to release Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been building since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many appealed to Trump's assertion that he is uniquely successful in bringing back US citizens detained overseas.

When questioned by journalists in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but promised to investigate. 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 enjoys working with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.