A former Twitter employee has been found guilty by US courts of spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Abouammo, a former Twitter employee, was found guilty on Tuesday, August 9, of spying for a foreign power by a US court. He is notably accused of having delivered to Riyadh the identity of people critical of the regime and the royal family. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
What is he accused of?
Ahmad Abouammo was arrested at the end of 2019 by the American police, who then strongly suspected him of having delivered to a close friend of the Saudi regime confidential information accessible only internally. He reportedly did so for a fee of at least $300,000 and a watch worth $40,000. At the end of the trial, the federal jury was convinced enough by the evidence adduced to turn this suspicion into an indictment.
Ahmad Abouammo left the company in May 2015 when his superiors called him to account after quickly spotting his actions. This hierarchical reframing was quickly followed by his departure from the company.
But the prosecution’s case does not end there, since he was also found guilty of fraud, money laundering and use of forgery, all with the aim of hiding from the American administration his earnings. To the FBI agents who came to question him on the source of the sum, he replied that it had been paid to him in compensation for a freelance mission. As for the watch, he said it was not worth more than 500 dollars.
The trial showed that the Saudis were accustomed to the fact, because a colleague of Abouammo, Ali Alzabarah, was also probably approached by the men of Riyadh. Quickly put under surveillance by the FBI, he still managed to flee the country with his wife and child. His destination? Saudi Arabia, of course. He was also very well received there: as soon as he arrived, a job awaited him in a charity organization run by… someone close to the royal family.
A well-placed character, but an amateur spy
If Abouammo’s position was particularly strategic for obtaining information, the man is not, however, an expert in hiding his tracks. His hierarchy within the social network very quickly suspected him, he hid very badly the source of his money and tried to resell his watch online for more than 40,000 dollars just a few days after receiving it. And if the jury could not access the exchange of messages with the relative of the royal family who contacted him, the proof of their existence does exist.
The ex-engineer of Twitter was therefore found guilty on detailed evidence. If his guilt is established, however, it is very difficult to establish the true consequences of his actions in Saudi Arabia. Twitter did not comment on the verdict and only accused its former employee of lying about his heritage.
Sources: Courthouse News Service, FranceInfo
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