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Saudi Arabia has granted permission for US citizen Saad Almadi to come back to Florida, well before of the scheduled lifting of travel bans and a day after the kingdom's leader and head of government met the former US president at the White House.

Legal Case Background

Almadi, 75, was given 19 years of imprisonment in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 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 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 dual citizen and former engineering professional who had lived 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 financial agreements.

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 security advisory board, as well as everyone at the state department," 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 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 small number of American dual citizens facing exit bans from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on digital criticism. His son has previously claimed that Almadi was pressured to sign papers giving up his US citizenship.

The case against Almadi focused on social media posts in which he was accused of urged Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and faulted the kingdom's defenses against Houthi rocket strikes.

Additionally, he expressed approval for 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.

Related Incident

US intelligence reports released 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 "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 "painful" and a "major error".

Diplomatic Pressure

US diplomatic efforts to release 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 repatriating US citizens held overseas.

When asked by a reporter 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 master negotiator and he enjoys working with the Saudis and we will win your father back," Johnson said.