Saudi Arabia Allows U.S. Retiree Saad Almadi to Return Home After Four-Year Detention
Following a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, Saudi authorities permit dual-national to depart early, citing improved U.S.–Saudi relations
Seventy-five-year-old Saad Almadi is now on his way home to Florida after Saudi Arabia agreed to lift a travel ban that had kept him in the kingdom for four years.
Almadi, a dual U.S.–Saudi citizen and retired engineer, was arrested in 2021 during a visit to Saudi Arabia and initially sentenced to nineteen years for tweets critical of the government.
In 2023 his prison term was commuted and replaced with a thirty-year exit ban under ‘cyber-crimes’ charges.
The announcement of his impending departure comes just one day after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Donald Trump at the White House, where the U.S.–Saudi axis was highlighted with new arms and investment deals.
Almadi’s family credited the Trump administration—particularly presidential adviser Sebastian Gorka, the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department—for securing his freedom.
They also thanked non-profit organisations and House Speaker Mike Johnson for persistent advocacy.
Almadi had been blocked from leaving Saudi Arabia despite his release from prison in 2023, during which his son claimed he was pressured to renounce his U.S. citizenship.
His case had drawn attention as part of a broader pattern of exit bans and travel restrictions imposed on dual nationals following social-media posts deemed critical of the Saudi regime.
Among the tweets cited were statements urging Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and remarks on national defence against missile attacks.
Although Saudi Arabian officials have not publicly detailed the reasons for the early lifting of the exit ban, the timing closely aligns with renewed U.S.–Saudi diplomacy.
The Saudi government does not recognise dual citizenship and routinely issues travel bans in lieu of imprisonment for dissent-related offences.
Almadi’s return to the United States underscores a rare instance in which U.S.–Saudi bilateral pressure and strategic alignment appear to have coincided with the release of a detained American.
His family’s statement expresses relief and optimism: “After four long years… our father… is finally on his way home.”
Almadi, a dual U.S.–Saudi citizen and retired engineer, was arrested in 2021 during a visit to Saudi Arabia and initially sentenced to nineteen years for tweets critical of the government.
In 2023 his prison term was commuted and replaced with a thirty-year exit ban under ‘cyber-crimes’ charges.
The announcement of his impending departure comes just one day after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Donald Trump at the White House, where the U.S.–Saudi axis was highlighted with new arms and investment deals.
Almadi’s family credited the Trump administration—particularly presidential adviser Sebastian Gorka, the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department—for securing his freedom.
They also thanked non-profit organisations and House Speaker Mike Johnson for persistent advocacy.
Almadi had been blocked from leaving Saudi Arabia despite his release from prison in 2023, during which his son claimed he was pressured to renounce his U.S. citizenship.
His case had drawn attention as part of a broader pattern of exit bans and travel restrictions imposed on dual nationals following social-media posts deemed critical of the Saudi regime.
Among the tweets cited were statements urging Saudi citizens to seek Lebanese citizenship and remarks on national defence against missile attacks.
Although Saudi Arabian officials have not publicly detailed the reasons for the early lifting of the exit ban, the timing closely aligns with renewed U.S.–Saudi diplomacy.
The Saudi government does not recognise dual citizenship and routinely issues travel bans in lieu of imprisonment for dissent-related offences.
Almadi’s return to the United States underscores a rare instance in which U.S.–Saudi bilateral pressure and strategic alignment appear to have coincided with the release of a detained American.
His family’s statement expresses relief and optimism: “After four long years… our father… is finally on his way home.”
