Saudi Arabia Lifts Travel Ban on US Citizen Saad Almadi

Saudi Arabia has lifted a travel ban on Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a US citizen of Saudi origin, allowing him to return to the United States, his family confirmed on Wednesday. Almadi was originally arrested in 2021 during a visit to Saudi Arabia after posting tweets that criticized corruption in the kingdom and mentioned the 2018 killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Almadi was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2022 on charges including destabilizing the kingdom. He was released a year later following appeals from the United States under President Joe Biden. However, despite his release, Saudi authorities had initially prevented him from leaving the country.

His family expressed relief and gratitude, stating that the travel ban’s removal would not have been possible without efforts from the US administration. “This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration,” the family said. They also expressed hope that similar support would continue for other US citizens still held abroad.

The move comes amid renewed US-Saudi engagement. President Donald Trump recently welcomed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States. During the visit, Trump defended the crown prince, claiming he “knew nothing” about Khashoggi’s murder and reacted angrily to journalists who pressed him on the issue.

The crown prince, who pledged a $1 trillion investment in the United States during his visit, described Khashoggi’s killing as “painful” and a “huge mistake.” The murder of Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post, drew widespread international criticism and strained US-Saudi relations.

This is not the first case of a US citizen being detained in Saudi Arabia over critical posts. During Trump’s first term, Vice President Mike Pence had publicly urged Saudi authorities to free Raif Badawi, a rights activist sentenced to 10 years in prison and publicly lashed 50 times for his blog posts. Badawi eventually completed his sentence but remains barred from leaving Saudi Arabia.

Saad Almadi’s case highlights ongoing concerns about freedom of speech and human rights in Saudi Arabia. The lifting of his travel ban allows him to reunite with his family in the United States and marks a rare instance of US intervention successfully securing the release of a citizen from Saudi detention.