Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Former Twitter Worker Convicted of Spying for Saudi Arabia
News
By News
Published 2 years ago on
August 10, 2022

Share

 

A former Twitter employee has been convicted of failing to register as an agent for Saudi Arabia and other charges after accessing private data on users critical of the kingdom’s government in a spy case that spanned from Silicon Valley to the Middle East.

Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. citizen and former media partnership manager for Twitter’s Middle East region, was charged in 2019 with acting as an agent of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government. A jury found him guilty on six counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The jury acquitted him on another five charges involving wire fraud.

The case marked the first time the kingdom, long linked to the U.S. through its massive oil reserves and regional security arrangements, has been accused of spying in America.

A 2019 FBI complaint alleged that Abouammo and Saudi citizen Ali Alzabarah, who worked as an engineer at Twitter, used their positions to access confidential Twitter data about users, their email addresses, phone numbers and IP addresses, the latter of which be used to identify a user’s location.

A third man named in the complaint, Saudi citizen Ahmed Al-Mutairi, was alleged to have worked with the Saudi royal family as an intermediary.

The U.S. complaint alleged that user data of over 6,000 Twitter accounts was accessed, including at least 33 usernames for which Saudi law enforcement had submitted emergency disclosure requests to Twitter. Abouammo was arrested in November 2019 and released on bond. He had pleaded not guilty. The FBI still lists Al-Mutairi and Alzabarah as wanted.

Abouammo’s attorneys and Twitter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Democrats’ Crisis of the Future: The Biggest States That Back Them Are Shrinking

DON'T MISS

Tech Founder Pledges to Give Away Half His Wealth to Make the American Dream More Possible

DON'T MISS

Let the Latest Scramble Begin for California School Construction Money

DON'T MISS

Americans Say It’s Harder to ‘Make It’ Financially Than Ever Before

DON'T MISS

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

DON'T MISS

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

DON'T MISS

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

DON'T MISS

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

DON'T MISS

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

DON'T MISS

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

UP NEXT

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

UP NEXT

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

UP NEXT

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

UP NEXT

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Senate Advances Migrant Detention Bill That Could Be Trump’s First Law to Sign

UP NEXT

SpaceX Launch Accident Likely Caused by Fire That Sent Trails of Flaming Debris Near the Caribbean

UP NEXT

Kristi Noem, Trump’s Homeland Security Pick, Faces Pointed Scrutiny on Immigration From Senators

UP NEXT

Supreme Court Upholds Law Banning TikTok if Not Sold by Chinese Parent Company

UP NEXT

Nintendo’s New Switch 2 Console Will Come Out in 2025

UP NEXT

Biden Won’t Enforce TikTok Ban, Official Says, Leaving Fate of App to Trump

Americans Say It’s Harder to ‘Make It’ Financially Than Ever Before

12 hours ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

1 day ago

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

1 day ago

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

1 day ago

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

1 day ago

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

1 day ago

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

1 day ago

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

1 day ago

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

1 day ago

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

1 day ago

Democrats’ Crisis of the Future: The Biggest States That Back Them Are Shrinking

WASHINGTON — Texas and Florida are growing rapidly. California, Illinois and New York are shrinking. With America’s population shiftin...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Democrats’ Crisis of the Future: The Biggest States That Back Them Are Shrinking

11 hours ago

Tech Founder Pledges to Give Away Half His Wealth to Make the American Dream More Possible

11 hours ago

Let the Latest Scramble Begin for California School Construction Money

12 hours ago

Americans Say It’s Harder to ‘Make It’ Financially Than Ever Before

1 day ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

1 day ago

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

1 day ago

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
1 day ago

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend