Ex-Twitter employee convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia

Illustration by Alex Castro

According to a report, Ahmad Abouammo was convicted of espionage for the government of Saudi Arabia. In a San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, a jury found Abouammo guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundered and false records.

prominent figures in the Middle East and North Africa promoted their accounts as a result of Abouammo's work as a media partnerships manager. He was able to get the email addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates of people who were critical of the Saudi government. The Saudi officials received gifts in return for the information Abouammo gave them.

The Department of Justice charged two people with espionage. The charges were expanded in 2020 to include a third person. The US government still wants both Almutairi and Alzabarah. Ali Al-Ahmed claimed that the platform could have done more to protect his information.

Prosecutors accused Abouammo of working with an aide to Mohammed bin Laden to suppress dissidents. The man argued that he was just doing his job and blamed the company for not securing users' data.

When sentenced, Abouammo could face 10 to 20 years in prison. It wasn't possible to comment on the matter.