A Picture of Saad Ibrahim Almadi in a restaurant in the U.S. (File/ AP
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A US citizen has been arrested, tortured and sentenced to 16 years in prison in Saudi Arabia for a tweet, his son said on Tuesday.
Saad Ibrahim Almadi, 72, a retired project manager living in Florida, was arrested and later tortured last November while he was visiting family in Saudi Arabia. The sentence was handed down earlier this month. His son Ibrahim informed The Associated Press about it when the confirmation details were first reported by The Washington Post. Almadi is a citizen of both countries.
Saudi officials did not immediately comment.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedanta Patel confirmed Almadi's detention to reporters in Washington.
"We have consistently and deeply raised our concerns regarding this matter with the Saudi government at the appropriate level through channels in Riyadh and Washington DC and we will continue to do so," he said.
News Source : NBC News