MIAMI (AP) — Saad Almadi, a 75-year-old retiree from Florida, is now facing a big travel restriction in Saudi Arabia. He’s been banned from leaving the country until 2026 over his outspoken comments on social media regarding the crown prince of the kingdom, as his son has revealed.
Almadi was found guilty of sharing content online that supposedly disrupts public order, following a ruling that emerged on September 14. This decision hasn’t made much news yet but includes a three-year sentence for Almadi. However, he won’t be spending more time in prison, as he had already been locked up for over a year after his arrest in 2021.
Now, instead of dealing with more jail time, Almadi is prohibited from leaving Saudi Arabia until March. The Saudi authorities, who haven’t commented on this case, are known for their hard stance against criticism and don’t recognize dual citizenship. They often address such actions as part of their ongoing drive against corruption, terrorism, and other security issues.
A son’s perspective: keeping the family silent
His son, Ibrahim Almadi, shares that the sentence seems designed to quiet his family and others like them, who are also stuck with similar bans and may hinder the crown prince’s reputation and diplomatic efforts. Ibrahim commented, “The government keeps changing its mind, and there’s never any repercussions for their flip-flopping.”
Once a project manager who moved to the U.S. back in the 1970s, Saad Almadi got arrested right after arriving in Saudi Arabia for what he intended to be a brief visit with family. Officials quickly confronted him over tweets he had made in the past, which included commentary on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the crown prince’s accumulation of power.
Initially slapped with terrorism-related charges tied to his tweets, Almadi was sentenced to over 19 years imprisonment. After spending more than a year locked away, the Saudi government released him but enforced the exit ban, preventing his return home to Boca Raton, near Miami.
Earlier reports from The Associated Press in January noted that Saudi officials were pressuring Almadi to give up his American citizenship.
Donald Trump previously stated that getting Americans held overseas freed was a priority for him; however, he has stayed relatively quiet about this individual case. When asked about it in May, Trump said he wasn’t familiar with it but would look into the situation. Shortly after, one of his national security assistants, Sebastian Gorka, met with Ibrahim Almadi at the White House.
The U.S. State Department mentioned that they are keeping an eye on Saad Almadi’s situation, offering him necessary consular services and maintaining contact with his family, yet they haven’t shared specific details for privacy reasons. The White House has not responded to further inquiries.
Strengthening Connections with Saudi Arabia
Trump has ramped up his efforts to show support for the Saudi royals since taking office again, particularly as he tries to brush aside the criticism stemming from Khashoggi’s killing.
During a recent trip to Riyadh, Trump praised Crown Prince Mohammed as an “incredible man” and declared him “my friend.” It’s noteworthy that Trump’s family has extensive business connections in the kingdom that have only strengthened since he returned to the presidential seat.
For instance, just in April, the Trump Organization agreed to collaborate with a developer linked to the Saudi royal family to build a luxury villa and golf course in Qatar. Moreover, they are also working together on a high-rise apartment in Jeddah, unveiled back in December.
It’s also worth mentioning that a private equity firm run by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, garnered a hefty $2 billion investment from the crown prince’s sovereign wealth fund.
According to Abdullah Alaoudh, a director at the Middle East Democracy Center, several Americans are currently trapped in similar circumstances with constraints placed on their exit from the country—Almadi isn’t alone in this situation.
Ultimately, Saudi Arabia stands as a major oil giants in the Middle East, involved extensively in regional conflicts and crucial diplomatic relations, particularly as the U.S. pushes for normalized relationships between Arab nations and Israel following the Abraham Accords, a major point during Trump’s first presidency.
