Saudi Leader's Controversial US Return
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has returned to the United States after more than a decade, protected by sovereign immunity that shields him from legal action in American courts. The Saudi leader's arrival marks his first visit to the country since being named prime minister in 2022, a position that grants him this legal protection.
Twitter Infiltration Scheme Revealed
Among the crown prince's travelling entourage is Bader al-Asaker, his chief of staff, who has been implicated in a sophisticated conspiracy to infiltrate Twitter and identify users criticising the Saudi regime. According to US court documents, Asaker allegedly led a campaign between 2014 and 2015 to find a mole within the social media company, now known as X.
American prosecutors have detailed how the scheme targeted anonymous accounts that posted satirical content and criticism of the Riyadh government. The infiltration had severe consequences for at least one individual - Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, who was forcibly disappeared and later sentenced to 20 years in prison for operating an anonymous Twitter account mocking Saudi authorities.
Legal Immunity and Ongoing Controversies
The sovereign immunity granted to Prince Mohammed has resulted in the dismissal of several legal cases against him, including a wrongful death civil suit brought by the fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was murdered by Saudi agents in 2018, with a US intelligence assessment concluding that Prince Mohammed had ordered the killing.
While the crown prince enjoys legal protection, his aide Asaker faces ongoing scrutiny. A superseding indictment from July 2020 identifies Asaker 53 times as Foreign-Official-1 and places him at the centre of the Twitter conspiracy. The document states that Asaker met with two central figures in the scheme - Ali Alzabarah and Ahmed Almutairi - during an official Saudi delegation to Washington in 2015.
Prosecutors allege that Asaker promised gifts, cash, and future employment to those involved in exchange for non-public information about Twitter users of interest to the Saudi government. Two men at the heart of the scheme now appear on the FBI's most-wanted list after fleeing to Saudi Arabia before arrest.
Asaker also features in a separate civil case involving Saad al-Jabri, a former senior Saudi intelligence official who fled the kingdom in 2017. Jabri has accused Prince Mohammed of plotting to kill him, including an alleged attempt thwarted by Canadian authorities in 2018. In this ongoing case, both Asaker and another Mohammed bin Salman aide, Saud al-Qahtani, stand accused of directing US residents to locate and murder al-Jabri.
Legal representatives for Asaker have denied these allegations, stating in court filings that he has complied with court orders and had no communications with US-based Saudis regarding al-Jabri. The Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment on the matters when approached.
