State Department confirms detention of US national in Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON (AA) – The State Department confirmed Tuesday the detention of Saudi-American dual national Saad Ibrahim Almadi in the Kingdom, saying it has raised concerns about his detention with Riyadh.
Spokesman Vedant Patel said the US first raised concerns about Almadi’s arrest in December 2021 when it became aware that he was taken into custody in Saudi Arabia, and last addressed the case Monday. Almadi was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Oct. 3.
The Saudi government offered no information to the State Department on the date of Almadi’s sentencing hearing until after it transpired despite “repeated requests” from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, said Patel.
Almadi, 72, was taken into custody in November 2021 when he traveled to Saudi Arabia to visit family, the Washington Post reported Monday. At issue are 14 tweets he posted in the past seven years, including some that address Jamal Khashoggi, the Post’s contributor who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Almadi’s son, Ibrahim, said his father had been tortured while in Saudi custody and imprisoned in deplorable conditions alongside extremist militants.
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