Trial of Previous Twitter Employee Accused of Spying Heads to Jury
SAN FRANCISCO — More than the final two months, attorneys for Ahmad Abouammo described him as a dutiful Twitter personnel caught in the cross hairs of law enforcement while taking care of media partnerships in the Center East and North Africa. Prosecutors mentioned he had misused the position to spy for Saudi Arabia.
The trial of Mr. Abouammo headed to jury deliberations on Thursday afternoon after prosecutors and defense legal professionals had provided their dueling accounts of the former Twitter employee. He is accused of obtaining the personalized data of political dissidents and sharing it with Saudi Arabia in trade for hundreds of 1000’s of bucks and a luxurious look at.
In 2019, Mr. Abouammo was arrested and billed with committing wire fraud, as effectively as with performing as an agent of a international authorities without having disclosing that do the job. Ali Alzabarah, a previous colleague of Mr. Abouammo’s who fled the state, was also charged.
“Power. Greed. Lies. You listened to this story, instructed by the evidence here in this courtroom,” explained Eric Cheng, an assistant U.S. legal professional.
Prosecutors claimed the plot experienced begun when Mr. Abouammo met Bader Binasaker, a leading adviser for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. At the time, Mr. Binasaker was functioning as a international government formal, and Mr. Abouammo understood it, prosecutors claimed. They ongoing speaking with every single other and later satisfied in London, where Mr. Binasaker gave Mr. Abouammo a luxurious watch.
“The kingdom had now secured its Twitter insider,” Mr. Cheng reported.
In excess of subsequent months, prosecutors reported, Mr. Abouammo employed Twitter’s instruments to obtain the private facts of users these types of as the pseudonymous Mujtahidd, a critic of the Saudi governing administration whose Twitter account Mr. Binasaker required suspended. In return for accessing that information, Mr. Abouammo acquired wire transfers from Mr. Binasaker, prosecutors claimed.
In impact, Saudi Arabia had “paid for a mole,” Mr. Cheng claimed.
But legal professionals for Mr. Abouammo argued that he experienced been just a Twitter staff undertaking his job, not a spy for Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors made use of “bits and pieces that they have specially plucked out of context and attempted to assemble to produce the photo they want you see,” reported Angela Chuang, a federal general public defender who signifies Mr. Abouammo and a direct legal professional in the scenario.
Mr. Abouammo’s attorneys reported his obligations at Twitter experienced involved establishing relationships with popular men and women from the Center East and looking into accounts that acquired persistent issues, this sort of as Mujtahidd’s. His lawyers said that Mr. Abouammo had executed all those duties but that the government did not have proof that he experienced then shared user information and facts with Mr. Binasaker.
“Possibly considered does not imply that private data was conveyed to any person else,” Ms. Chuang reported.
Mr. Abouammo’s legal professionals also said that though he experienced connected Mr. Binasaker with Mr. Alzabarah, his former colleague, he had not been associated in any scheme amongst the two gentlemen. Mr. Abouammo was not liable for Mr. Alzabarah’s actions, his legal professionals claimed.
“An introduction does not equivalent a conspiracy,” Ms. Chuang said.
SAN FRANCISCO — More than the final two months, attorneys for Ahmad Abouammo described him as a dutiful Twitter personnel caught in the cross hairs of law enforcement while taking care of media partnerships in the Center East and North Africa. Prosecutors mentioned he had misused the position to spy for Saudi Arabia.
The trial of Mr. Abouammo headed to jury deliberations on Thursday afternoon after prosecutors and defense legal professionals had provided their dueling accounts of the former Twitter employee. He is accused of obtaining the personalized data of political dissidents and sharing it with Saudi Arabia in trade for hundreds of 1000’s of bucks and a luxurious look at.
In 2019, Mr. Abouammo was arrested and billed with committing wire fraud, as effectively as with performing as an agent of a international authorities without having disclosing that do the job. Ali Alzabarah, a previous colleague of Mr. Abouammo’s who fled the state, was also charged.
“Power. Greed. Lies. You listened to this story, instructed by the evidence here in this courtroom,” explained Eric Cheng, an assistant U.S. legal professional.
Prosecutors claimed the plot experienced begun when Mr. Abouammo met Bader Binasaker, a leading adviser for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. At the time, Mr. Binasaker was functioning as a international government formal, and Mr. Abouammo understood it, prosecutors claimed. They ongoing speaking with every single other and later satisfied in London, where Mr. Binasaker gave Mr. Abouammo a luxurious watch.
“The kingdom had now secured its Twitter insider,” Mr. Cheng reported.
In excess of subsequent months, prosecutors reported, Mr. Abouammo employed Twitter’s instruments to obtain the private facts of users these types of as the pseudonymous Mujtahidd, a critic of the Saudi governing administration whose Twitter account Mr. Binasaker required suspended. In return for accessing that information, Mr. Abouammo acquired wire transfers from Mr. Binasaker, prosecutors claimed.
In impact, Saudi Arabia had “paid for a mole,” Mr. Cheng claimed.
But legal professionals for Mr. Abouammo argued that he experienced been just a Twitter staff undertaking his job, not a spy for Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors made use of “bits and pieces that they have specially plucked out of context and attempted to assemble to produce the photo they want you see,” reported Angela Chuang, a federal general public defender who signifies Mr. Abouammo and a direct legal professional in the scenario.
Mr. Abouammo’s attorneys reported his obligations at Twitter experienced involved establishing relationships with popular men and women from the Center East and looking into accounts that acquired persistent issues, this sort of as Mujtahidd’s. His lawyers said that Mr. Abouammo had executed all those duties but that the government did not have proof that he experienced then shared user information and facts with Mr. Binasaker.
“Possibly considered does not imply that private data was conveyed to any person else,” Ms. Chuang reported.
Mr. Abouammo’s legal professionals also said that though he experienced connected Mr. Binasaker with Mr. Alzabarah, his former colleague, he had not been associated in any scheme amongst the two gentlemen. Mr. Abouammo was not liable for Mr. Alzabarah’s actions, his legal professionals claimed.
“An introduction does not equivalent a conspiracy,” Ms. Chuang said.