Court rules Saudi spy case took wrong turn in trial location

A man once trusted to shape Twitter's voice in the Middle East found himself in the middle of a legal storm after allegedly sharing secrets with a foreign government. Ahmad Abouammo, who worked at Twitter between 2013 and 2015, faced accusations of leaking private information about two Saudi critics to a government official. In return, prosecutors claimed, he received expensive gifts and large cash sums. When federal agents from California traveled to his Seattle home to question him, Abouammo denied the allegations and insisted the money came from legitimate consulting work. Things took a different turn when agents asked for proof. Instead of providing real documents, Abouammo allegedly created a fake invoice and sent it to one of the agents. That single act led to an obstruction charge, but the Supreme Court later said the case was filed in the wrong place. The justices pointed out that crimes involving document tampering must be tried where the tampering actually happened—in this case, Seattle—not in California where the agents worked. The court made this clear in a unanimous decision that underlined how location matters in legal cases.While this ruling tossed out one conviction, it didn’t touch the other charges against him. These include acting as a secret representative for a foreign power and defrauding clients by hiding his true motives. Abouammo served part of a 3. 5-year prison sentence before being released in mid-2025 while his appeal moved forward. His lawyer chose not to speak to the media, and officials from the California prosecutor’s office also stayed quiet when asked for comment. The case shines a light on how social media platforms can become unexpected stages for international intrigue. During his time at Twitter, Abouammo held a role focused on media partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa. His job gave him access to sensitive data, which prosecutors say he misused. The incident also raises questions about how tech companies handle confidential user information and whether current laws do enough to protect it.