A Florida retiree has been convicted of cyber crimes and blocked from leaving Saudi Arabia until next year over social media posts critical of the kingdom’s crown prince.
LIVE: Potentially razor-thin City Council vote over $2B budget that could reshape Jacksonville’s futureJacksonville approves $27 million Mormon temple to be built in MandarinWorldFILE - Ibrahim Almadi holds a photo of his father Saad Almadi graduating from college in 1984, in Washington, Dec.
23, 2024. FILE - Ibrahim Almadi holds a photo of his father Saad Almadi graduating from college in 1984, in Washington, Dec. 23, 2024. FILE - Ibrahim Almadi holds a photo of his father Saad Almadi graduating from college in 1984, in Washington, Dec. 23, 2024. until next year over social media posts critical of the kingdom’s crown prince, according to the man’s son. Saad Almadi, 75, was found guilty of distributing online content that undermines public order, according to a Sept. 14 ruling provided by his son. The conviction, which has not been previously reported, carries a three-year sentence but spares Almadi additional prison time after he spent more than a year behind bars following his arrest in 2021.Instead, it blocks Almadi from leaving the kingdom until March. The Saudi government, which did not respond to a request for comment, doesn’t recognize dual citizenship and regularlyto President Donald Trump during a May trip to Saudi Arabia, a key strategic partner of the United States. It built on efforts to reengage with the kingdom after the crown prince's reputation was badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that he had likely ordered the 2018Almadi’s son, Ibrahim Almadi, says he believes the sentence is aimed at prompting his family — and those of a handful of other American citizens facing similar exit bans —“The government keeps changing its mind, and there's no consequences every time it does,” he said in an interview. A retired project manager who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s, the elder Almadi was arrested upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia for what was supposed to be a short trip to see family. Officials confronted him with tweets he had posted over the past several years, including one about Khashoggi’s killing and another on the crown prince’s consolidation of power, his family says. Almadi was quickly sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on terrorism-related charges stemming from the tweets. Saudi Arabia freed him after more than a year and dropped the terrorism charges but imposed an exit ban that keeps him from returning to his home in Boca Raton, near Miami., has remained mostly silent. When asked by a reporter in May about the case, he said he didn't know about it but promised to take a look. A few weeks later, one of his national security aides, Sebastian Gorka, met with the younger Almadi at the White House. The U.S. State Department said it is monitoring the elder Almadi's case, providing him with appropriate consular services and has been in contact with his family, but it declined to provide further comment, citing privacy considerations. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.family has extensive business dealings In April, the Trump Organization struck a deal with a developer close to the Saudi royal family, London-based Dar Global, toAbdullah Alaoudh, a senior director at the Middle East Democracy Center, a Washington-based human rights group, is tracking cases of Americans under exit bans in Saudi Arabia. He said he knew of four others — an American citizen, two dual U.S.-Saudi nationals and a U.S. green-card holder — facing a similar plight to Almadi's. Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in the Middle East. It's also a key player in regional conflicts involving Iran and Yemen as well as the chief prize in U.S. efforts to get Arab states to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords — a hallmark foreign policy achievement during Trump’s first term. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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