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The Kingdom 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 head of government met Donald Trump at the White House.

Legal Case Background

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

"Our family rejoices that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally 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 arms sales and investment deals.

Diplomatic 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," it added.

The statement 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 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 crackdown on online dissent. His son has earlier stated that Almadi was pressured 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 faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.

More controversially, he expressed approval for the rededication 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 published by the Biden administration later assessed that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "detain or eliminate" 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 "painful" and a "huge mistake".

International Efforts

US pressure 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 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 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 master negotiator and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.