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Saudi Arabia has granted permission for 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 prime minister met the former US president at the White House.

Legal Case Overview

Almadi, seventy-five, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he posted 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. Two years later, the charges were reduced to termed "cyber crimes" and he was given a 30-year ban on departing from 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 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 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 foreign affairs office," 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 supporting the elder Almadi's cause. He later posted on social media that his father was traveling to the US.

Broader Context

Almadi is one of a handful of American dual citizens facing travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia following a clampdown on online dissent. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was pressured to sign papers giving up his US citizenship.

The legal proceedings involving 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 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.

Related Incident

US intelligence reports released by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had authorized 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 "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "major error".

Diplomatic Pressure

US diplomatic efforts to free Almadi and allow him to come back to the US has been increasing since Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Many urged Trump's claim 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 vowed to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, 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.