Saudi Arabia has agreed to release Saad Almadi, a U.S. citizen jailed over social media posts critical of the royal family, following this week's meeting between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the American's son, Ibrahim Almadi.

Saad Almadi, 75, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1976, was detained in 2021 during a family visit because of comments he made online.

He was initially sentenced to more than 19 years on terrorism-related charges but was released in 2023 then placed under an exit ban, preventing him from leaving Saudi Arabia. The terrorism charges were later reduced to "cyber crimes."

"This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Sebastian Gorka and the team at the National Security Council, as well as everyone at the State Department," the Almadi family said in a statement.

The meeting between Trump and MBS marked the crown prince's first visit to the U.S. since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence agencies have said was approved by the Saudi leader.

One of the 14 tweets that caused Saad Almadi to be arrested drew attention to the murder of Khashoggi, according to the younger Almadi.

The Almadi family also thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., along with several nongovernmental organizations, for helping secure Saad Almadi's release.

"We hope the support and care we received will continue for those still held hostage in Saudi Arabia and in other parts of the world," the statement concluded.

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