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Saudi Arabia has permitted US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, well before 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.

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 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 lived 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 weapons deals and financial agreements.

Political Recognition

"This moment would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the persistent work of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the team at the security advisory board, as well as everyone at the foreign affairs office," it added.

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 traveling to the US.

Broader Context

Almadi is one of a handful of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured to sign papers renouncing his US citizenship.

The legal proceedings involving 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 supported 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 published by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had authorized 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 investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".

International Efforts

US pressure to free Almadi and allow him to return 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 held overseas.

When questioned by journalists in May about the case, Trump said he didn't know about it but vowed to investigate. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, Gorka, met the son at the White House.

"President Trump is the master negotiator and he loves to do business with the Saudis and we will secure your father's release," Johnson said.