London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Man Accused of Helping Saudi Arabia Spy on Twitter Critics Pleads Not Guilty

Man Accused of Helping Saudi Arabia Spy on Twitter Critics Pleads Not Guilty

A former Twitter employee accused of helping Saudi Arabia spy on its critics pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 23 criminal counts, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent and obstructing an investigation.
According to a superseding indictment issued July 28, Abouammo used his inside access as a Twitter employee to help Saudi Arabia obtain the private information of dissidents who criticized the oil-rich nation’s government and royal family on Twitter. Abouammo worked as a media partnerships manager for Twitter’s Middle East and North Africa region from November 2013 to May 2015.

Abouammo, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen and father of three in his early 40s who lives in Seattle, was arrested in November 2019 and released on bond following a protracted legal battle over his detention.

An unnamed Saudi Arabian official met Abouammo during a May 2014 visit to Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco and started communicating with him through emails, phone calls and personal meetings, according to the indictment.

In December 2014, the Saudi official gave Abouammo a watch worth at least $20,000 during an in-person meeting in London, federal prosecutors claim. Abouammo did not report the gift to his superiors as required by Twitter policies at the time, prosecutors say.

After receiving that gift, prosecutors say Abouammo used his inside access to obtain the email addresses and phone numbers of two vocal opponents of Saudi Arabia without authorization from Twitter. One of the Twitter users was a prominent Saudi critic with more than 1 million followers, according to previously filed court documents.

An email from the unnamed Saudi official to Abouammo’s employee account in January 2015 contained an attachment regarding one of the targeted Twitter users with a message stating “as we discussed in london,” according to the indictment.

In February 2015, the same foreign official deposited $100,000 in a recently opened bank account in Lebanon in the name of one of Abouammo’s relatives. Abouammo had access to that account and later received wire transfers from it, prosecutors say.

In March 2015, Abouammo sent the unnamed Saudi official a private message through Twitter stating, “proactive and reactively we will delete evil my brother.”

After Abouammo left Twitter on about May 22, 2015, the Saudi official continued to pay him at least $200,00 over the next eight months, according to the indictment.

Before Abouammo resigned from Twitter, prosecutors say he helped connect his co-defendant, former Twitter employee and Saudi Arabian citizen Ali Alzabarah, with a man who acted as an intermediary between the Saudi government and allegedly corrupted Twitter employees. Federal prosecutors say that intermediary is Ahmed Almutairi, of Saudi Arabia, also a charged co-defendant in the case.

Alzabarah allegedly accessed the private data of more than 6,000 Twitter users, including information that can be used to identify and locate dissidents, such as IP addresses and dates of birth, according to a criminal complaint filed in November 2019.

Alzabarah repeatedly accessed one prominent Saudi critic’s Twitter account between May and September 2015, including on Sept. 28 when the Twitter user reported this account had been hacked or compromised, according to federal prosecutors.

After Twitter managers confronted Alzabarah about his unauthorized access of user accounts on Dec. 2, 2015, and placed him on administrative leave, Alzabarah absconded to Saudi Arabia and started working on social media influence projects on behalf of the foreign government, according to the indictment.

Alzabarah and his co-defendant Almutairi are believed to be in Saudi Arabia with outstanding federal warrants for their arrest still pending.

Abouammo faces 23 criminal counts, including acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, conspiring to commit wire fraud, aiding and abetting wire fraud, money laundering and falsifying records to obstruct an investigation.

Prosecutors say Abouammo lied to the FBI and provided a false invoice to show money he received from a Saudi official was for a consulting gig, rather than a bribe.

He faces 10 years in prison for acting as an unregistered foreign agent and 20 years in prison for each set of charges related to money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

Abouammo’s public defender Ellen Valentik Leonida pleaded not guilty to all counts on behalf of her client during a virtual court hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex Tse on Wednesday.

During a status hearing before U.S. District Judge Edward Chen later Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Sampson said prosecutors plan to invoke the Classified Information Procedures Act to withhold top-secret information related to the Abouammo investigation. Sampson said prosecutors don’t intend to use that material at trial.

Abouammo’s attorney Leonida objected to withholding that information from the defense.

“The fact that the government doesn’t intend to use any of the material doesn’t mean that it’s not potentially exculpatory or relevant,” Leonida said.

The public defender said she intends to file a motion for a bill of particulars, which could require prosecutors to release more detailed information on the charges against her client. Chen asked both sides to meet and confer before filing any motions.

A further status hearing was scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 21.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×