Washington D.C. – New York Post, May 13, 2025
The family of 75-year-old American Saad Almadi is hoping that President Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia will win his freedom — telling The Post that Almadi faces a possible new trial over his criticism of the government on social media.
Almadi, a dual citizen and retired engineer who lived in the US since the 1970s, was detained during a trip in late 2021 and later sentenced to 19 years in prison for tweeting criticisms of the Saudi government from his home in Florida.
He was released from prison in 2023, but was banned from leaving the country.
The prospect of a renewed trial has his family hoping that Trump will be able to use his strong relationship with Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to bring him home.
“He tried to go to Dubai two months ago [in March] and they said, ‘You are banned from traveling, contact the Ministry of Interior.’ And when he contacted the Ministry of Interior, they told him, ‘Saad, you are still facing a trial and you are still under travel ban for 19 years,’” his son, Ibrahim Almadi, told The Post.
“Basically in court they said the charges are dropped and now they are refusing to let him travel. They said, ‘No, the charges are still there, they aren’t dropped.’ It’s just a miserable court system.”
