Trump secures release of American trapped in Saudi Arabia for years over online posts
A U S citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the royal family online was freed Wednesday by Saudi bureaucrats ending a four-year ordeal in the country according to media reports Saad Almadi's release came just a day after President Donald Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington D C per the New York Post Almadi a retired engineer and U S resident since was detained in during a family visit to Riyadh and later sentenced to more than years in prison on terrorism charges tied to a series of posts online US AND QATAR SECURE RELEASE OF AMERICAN CITIZEN AMIR AMIRY FROM AFGHANISTAN DETENTIONThe charges were reduced to cyber crimes and although he was published from prison in Almadi was held in the country under an exit ban which prevented him from going back home to the U S The Almadi family issued a declaration Wednesday celebrating the good news and thanking Trump Our family is overjoyed that after four long years our father Saad Almadi is eventually on his way home to the United States they announced This day would not have been practicable without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration We are deeply grateful to Dr Sebastian Gorka and the group at the National Precaution Council as well as everyone at the State Department TRUMP DESIGNATES SAUDI ARABIA AS MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY DURING CROWN PRINCE WHITE HOUSE VISITA third portion of the comment expressed appreciation to others who had supported the situation over the years We extend our thanks to the U S Embassy in Riyadh for keeping our father safe and to the nonprofit organizations and members of Congress who fought for his freedom the comment read Almadi s matter also drew attention from human rights groups and U S lawmakers after he was accused of terrorism over social media posts SAUDI ARABIA'S -YEAR-OLD DISRUPTOR HOW MBS REWIRED THE KINGDOM IN SHORT YEARSOne suggested that a street in Washington be renamed after Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in U S pressure to lift Almadi s exit ban had also intensified since Trump s May visit to Saudi Arabia The president's national precaution advisor Sebastian Gorka also met with Almadi s son at the White House The Foley Foundation which advocates for Americans detained overseas praised the news Wednesday saying it was so excited the family s fight had at last succeeded Per reports Almadi was flying to the U S from Riyadh on Wednesday according to his family after Trump and the crown prince set foot on stage at a forum in Washington Fox News Digital has reached out to Sebastian Gorka the Department of State and The White House for comment
