Michigan man freed from Saudi prison

A Downriver man on a religious pilgrimage has been released from a Saudi prison after spending more than a month in custody, said his attorney and U.S. officials.

Mohamad Salem, 63, of Melvindale, has arrived in the U.S. and was expected to arrive in Michigan Wednesday night, said attorney Abdallah Moughni. Salem was arrested Nov. 1 by police in Saudi Arabia after he spoke out in anger to undercover police about burning down the country in a dispute with security officers who had separated him from his sons. He was jailed and then sent to a maximum-security prison, drawing concern from family and the U.S. government.

Officials in the State Department, National Security Council, and the offices of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., fought to get him released, according to emails from their offices.

The metro Detroit family of the father of 10 is thrilled that he has been released.

"They are excited; they are happy; they can't believe it," Moughni said. "They were expecting the worst for this entire month. Every day that went by, they expected worse and worse and worse, then all the sudden, it's like a complete 180. Now they have their father back, and he's back in American soil. So they're as happy as can be."

U.S. officials also applauded his release.

"We were very pleased to hear this news earlier today, and are thrilled that Mohamad is on his way home," Robert Berschinski, a special assistant to the president and senior director for democracy and human rights at the National Security Council, wrote in an email Wednesday.

More:Michigan man on religious trip detained in Saudi Arabian max security prison

More:GOP made gains in east Dearborn after protests over LGBTQ books

"We heard the great news from the State Department early this morning," wrote Larissa Richardson, chief of staff to Tlaib, in an email. "We are so glad to hear about the safe return for Mr. Salem home."

Tlaib had called upon Saudi Arabia to release Salem in a statement last week to the Free Press.

Salem was visiting Saudi Arabia along with his two sons on an Islamic pilgrimage known as Umrah. His sons are staying in Saudi Arabia for now to complete their religious obligations and will return next week, Moughni said.

Moughni said he was notified at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning that Salem was put on a one-way flight to Washington, D.C.

Moughni said that a Free Press story published Saturday "is what pushed swift action."

Salem had arrived in Saudi Arabia in October for his pilgrimage. On Nov. 1, he was standing in line with his two sons when security officers separated him from his two sons and told him to go to another line, which upset him.

Out of frustration and anger, he then said to two people he didn't know were undercover police that he would burn the country down if it wasn't for the fact it has two holy cities for Muslims.

"At this point, Mohamad was livid," Moughni said earlier. "He just let it out. He said something that he probably shouldn't have. And he said that if it were not for Mecca and Medina, we would burn this country to the ground. Mohamad was arrested. He was put in a general facility at first."

After being jailed, Salem was later transferred to Dhahban Central Prison, a maximum-security center that has drawn criticism for abusing detained political activists.

Born in Yemen, Salem is a retired seaman who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and diabetes; family members were worried about his health. He was later provided with appropriate medication, Moughni said.

Emails reviewed by the Free Press show that U.S. officials in their embassy in Saudi Arabia were aware of the case and expressed their concern. The case came at a time when the U.S. government is trying to improve its relations with the Gulf nation after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In an email on Nov. 14, Richardson wrote: "We continue to follow the case closely, in coordination with our Embassy and the Department, and are working to provide all appropriate assistance."

The top U.S. diplomat in Saudi Arabia also spoke about the case.

On Nov. 28, "our Chargé d'affaires Martina Strong raised Mr. Salem's case at a high-level ... meeting and we continue to advocate on his behalf," a State Department official wrote in an Nov. 30 email to an aide to Peters. "Please note that this is a priority for us here in Jeddah as well as for colleagues across the Mission in Riyadh and (we) are working tirelessly for both speedy resolution and consular access."

Moughni's father, Majed Moughni, also worked to bring Salem back.

"Behind the scenes, congressional and White House leaders did what they could to undue the colossal blunder on the parts of the Saudis," Majed Moughni said. "The stature of America as a superpower was at risk here."

Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mohamad Salem of Michigan is freed from Saudi prison after one month