There was a message on Danah al-Mayouf's phone from an anonymous account that promised to help her "crush" a $5 million lawsuit from a pro-government Saudi fashion model.
She said she had to meet him in person.
In December of last year, after the killing and dismemberment of a prominent Saudi journalist in Istanbul, al-Mayouf feared being kidnapped and taken back to the kingdom.
Al- Mayouf said he couldn't meet someone he didn't know. With all the kidnappings and killings, especially.
She is happy she didn't go. federal prosecutors have arrested the man behind the messages, Ibrahim Alhussayen, on charges of lying to federal officials about using the fake account to harass and threaten Saudi critics in the U.S.
The FBI wouldn't say anything about the charges. The Saudi Embassy in Washington and a lawyer for Alhussayen did not reply to requests.
An investigation into online harassment campaigns targeting Saudi dissidents in the U.S. and their relatives is part of a trend that has alarmed American authorities.
The Justice Department revealed a plot by operatives acting on behalf of the Chinese government to spy on dissidents in the U.S.
The Saudi crown prince is trying to burnish his image as a liberal reformer as he continues to crack down on opposition. Critics of the Saudi government have posed a threat to the kingdom's security in the past.
At a diplomatic summit in Saudi Arabia last week, President Joe Biden and Prince Mohammed shared a hug.
The scenes drew criticism from fellow Democrats and rights groups after Biden said he would treat the kingdom like a pariah.
Biden said he talked about human rights issues with Prince Mohammed and that he was straight forward about it.
If the Saudi government tries to target dissidents abroad again, they will get a response, according to Biden.
While some accuse Biden of abandoning his promise to put human rights at the center of his foreign policy with his trip to the kingdom, the arrest of Alhussayen in New York underscores that federal officials are increasingly scrambling to prevent those rights abuses from occurring on US soil.
In America, the kingdom's campaign to silence criticism has been going on for a while. The U.S. prosecutors alleged that Saudi Arabia had recruited two employees to spy on American citizens and Saudi dissidents.
The research director for Democracy for the Arab World Now said that this guy is just the beginning. Although he's not named in the complaint, Alaoudh claims he was harassed by Alhussayen as well. The Saudi government is reaching people outside.
Alhussayen was a graduate student. The FBI says he was an account that insulted and threatened young women on social media in order to aid the Saudi government.
He kept in touch with a Saudi government employee who reported to an official at the royal court.
Prosecutors said that Alhussayen kept photos of Saudi dissidents on his phone this year, as well as taking pictures of the dissidents on his social media accounts.
During three interviews, Alhussayen lied to federal authorities. He told the FBI that he only used his own social media accounts.
The victims of Alhussayen would check their phones to find new attacks. Women who were critical of the Saudi government said Alhussayen's warnings were part of a powerful campaign.
Alhussayen told al- Mayouf that the crown prince would wipe him off the face of the earth.
He was threatening al-Mayouf with the fate of Saudi women imprisoned in the kingdom.
From New York, al-Mayouf hosts a popular show that delivers biting takes on current events in Saudi Arabia.
There were signs that Alhussayen's intentions were more than just causing offense.
Al-Mayouf lashed out after rejecting his help with the lawsuit. He tried to get her location to surveil and harass her. The complaint didn't say anything.
She believes that some of the online bully who threaten her and her American fiancée are in the U.S. Something may happen to me.
Pro-government accounts posted their home address on the social networking site.
Moudi Aljohani, a prominent Saudi women's rights activist who petitioned for asylum in the U.S., thinks Alhussayen was trying to lure her into a face-to-face meeting.
Aljohani fled the kingdom after speaking out against the country's male guardianship system. If she comes back, she fears her family will kill her.
When Alhussayen reached out to her in 2020 from his fake account, she was scared.
He was angry when she didn't reply. She said Alhussayen wanted to spit in her face. He hoped she would be the same person as the Saudi woman who was killed in a so-called "honor killing" in 2020.
In recent years, Aljohani has refrained from publicizing her critical opinions of the government because of a relentless campaign of false accusations.
A lower political profile isn't helping. She is afraid of her government's reach.
The Saudis are paying a lot of money to change their image and we are ruining it for them. There is no place that is safe.
That's right.
Tucker is a writer for the Associated Press.
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