Jury convicts former Twitter employee of spying for Saudi Arabia

A jury in San Francisco, California convicted a former Twitter employee of spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia after he gave the kingdom the personal information of those who used the platform to criticize the Saudi regime.

The jury also found Egyptian-born U.S. resident Ahmad Abouammo guilty on charges of money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and falsifying records, Bloomberg reported.

Abouammo, who previously served as a media partnership manager for the company, was responsible for promoting Twitter in the Middle East and North Africa. Prosecutors alleged, however, that he maintained a close relationship with an aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and aided in the silencing of his critics.

The crown prince has earned widespread notoriety for his alleged orchestration of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Abouammo reportedly received $300,000 via wire transfer for his services in addition to a Hublot watch, Bloomberg noted. He faces 10-20 years in prison.