The Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC) welcomes the return of U.S. citizen Saad Almadi to the United States following the lifting of his travel ban by Saudi authorities. We urge the Trump administration to secure the release of other U.S. citizens wrongfully detained by U.S. allies in the Middle East and North Africa, who are currently suffering under the same unjust fate Almadi had been experiencing the past several years.

Almadi, a 75-year-old father and retiree from Florida, arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, November 20, 2025, reuniting with his family after being trapped in Saudi Arabia for four years. In November 2021, Almadi traveled to Saudi Arabia to visit family and was arrested over 14 tweets critical of the Saudi government that he posted while in the United States. He was eventually sentenced to 19 years in prison followed by a 19-year travel ban.

In March 2023, Almadi was released from prison following international pressure but was placed under an arbitrary travel ban that prevented him from returning to the United States. In September 2025, Almadi was resentenced to three years in prison. The court ruled that the remainder of the sentence would not be enforced, citing his age. He was also handed a three-year travel ban, back dated to his 2023 release, which was supposed to expire in March 2026.

“We are relieved that this ordeal has finally come to an end for Saad Almadi and his family,” said Seth Binder, MEDC’s director of advocacy. “It is indefensible that the Saudi government made him spend even one day in prison. The Trump administration should follow through on its promise and ensure that all other wrongfully detained Americans are freed immediately, especially if they are from supposed partner governments.”

Since returning to office in January, President Trump has vowed to prioritize bringing Americans unjustly detained abroad home to the United States, and Almadi’s safe return helps fulfill that promise. However, a number of American citizens remain wrongfully detained by U.S. allies in the Middle East. The Trump administration must exercise its leverage to secure the release of these Americans held by U.S. partners.

Egyptian authorities are unjustly detaining Mohamed Emad, a U.S. citizen from Baltimore, Maryland, who was only 16 years old at the time of his arrest. Emad was targeted for his online gaming activity and arrested in August 2024 without a warrant while he was visiting his family in Egypt during summer vacation. Emad was illegally held in pretrial detention at a police station with adults for more than a year and his lawyers have been denied access to his case files. Following only two hearing sessions, his sentencing is expected on December 23.

Ahmed Reda, a U.S. citizen from Chicago, was also arrested in Egypt in October 2023 and forcibly disappeared for six days before reappearing in detention and being transferred between several prisons. Throughout his detention, he has been denied basic due process rights: his lawyers have been blocked from accessing him, denied access to his case files, and his case was renewed in court without his presence. He is currently held in Egypt’s Badr 1 Prison, where he remains detained under harsh and highly restrictive conditions and has undertaken multiple hunger strikes in protest of his mistreatment.

Israel is also unjustly detaining Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old American citizen from Florida. In February 2025, Israeli forces raided his family home in the West Bank and arrested him, accusing him of throwing rocks. Israeli authorities have provided no evidence to support the claim. Since his arrest, he has been denied all contact with his family and reportedly experienced abuse and medical neglect. He is being tried by the Israeli military courts, where Palestinians face a conviction rate of almost 100 percent. An official from the U.S. embassy recently visited Ibrahim in detention and reported that his health has significantly deteriorated.