Saad bin Khalid Al Jabri

Al Jabri spent his early years in Ha'il. To better assist his family, following the death of his father, he enrolled at a police academy, then worked as a police officer in Taif while studying in his free time.[1]

Al Jabri obtained a bachelor's degree in Security Sciences from King Fahd Security College in Riyadh. He obtained a further bachelor's degree in Arabic language and literature from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, and a diploma in computer programming from the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh.

He studied for a master's degree in computer science at college in Dhahran, following which he was involved in the founding of a computer science program at King Fahd Security College. In 1993 he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, receiving his PhD in artificial intelligence[2] in 1997.[1]

Al Jabri is married to Nadyah and they have six sons and two daughters.[5]

Following the completion of his doctoral studies Al Jabri went, at the behest of then-minister of interior Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to work within the ministry of interior where he taught at the King Fahd Security College.[1]

Over the following two decades Al Jabri became an ally and key adviser to Muhammad bin Nayef. He was a mainstay link between Saudi Arabia and western intelligence agencies, including the Five Eyes alliance, and was credited with helping Muhammad bin Nayef transform and modernise the Saudi security services and their counter-terrorism methods.[2]

As of 2003 Al Jabri was the chief of staff and following the Riyadh compound bombings their focus shifted to Al-Qaeda. Changes to counter-terrorism methods were introduced including rehabilitation programs and closer information sharing with western intelligence agencies. It is claimed the reforms were instrumental in the foiling of the 2010 transatlantic aircraft bomb plot.[1][2]

In July 2015, and with the agreement of then-minister of interior and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, Al Jabri attended meetings with then-CIA Director John Brennan at CIA headquarters and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London. The following month he visited the White House to discuss the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. Despite briefing the royal court upon his return it is claimed that Mohammed bin Salman felt Al Jabri was "plotting" with bin Nayef against him. He was dismissed from his governmental positions on 10 September 2015.[1][6]

After his dismissal from government, Al Jabri continued advising Mohammed bin Nayef in a personal capacity until he departed Saudi Arabia on 17 May 2017. He remained abroad following the ousting of Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince the following month and later took refuge in Canada.[1][6] Thomas Juneau, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, stated that Al Jabri and other Saudis who had fled the kingdom were justifiably concerned about their safety. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, explained why Al Jabri kept a low profile after arriving in Canada: "I think he's scared. Wouldn't you be?"[7]

In September 2017, Al Jabri's son-in-law, Salem Almuzaini,[8] was allegedly rendered from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. His wife was in Turkey at the time and he tried to persuade her to attend the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul from where, Khalid al-Jabri suspects, she would have been abducted.[9]

On 16 March 2020 two of his children, Sarah and Omar, who were already barred from leaving the Kingdom,[10] were detained by Saudi security officers. Their elder brother Khalid Al Jabri believes that they were to be used as bargaining chips to force their father to return to Saudi Arabia.[2]

The family sought the assistance of the US authorities in their quest for information about the pair and Tim Rieser, a senior aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, confirmed that Leahy's office is pushing for both information about their location and their release. Rieser stated, "It seems that they're being used as hostages to try and coerce their father to return to Saudi Arabia".[11][12]

In May 2020, Al Jabri's brother, Abdulrahman, was also detained.[13][14]

In June 2020, Lord Hylton, queried what steps the British government were taking over the arrests of Al Jabri's children and brother, he was duly advised that they are "monitoring this case closely" and are "concerned" about numerous detainees held by the Saudi government.[15]

On 7 July 2020, Senators Patrick Leahy, Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen and Marco Rubio wrote to President Donald Trump urging him to press for the release of Al Jabri's children. Calling him a "highly valued partner" they said: "the US has a moral obligation to do what it can to assist in securing his children's freedom".[16] In response, the Department of State noted that it had "repeatedly" requested that Saudi officials "clarify the status" of Al Jabri's children,[17] and undertook to: "continue to engage Saudi counterparts to resolve this situation in a manner that honours Dr Aljabri's service to our country".[18]

In January 2021, around 10 months after being detained, Omar and Sarah were permitted to contact family members in Saudi Arabia. Within the period they were being held at an undisclosed location, both had been convicted of money laundering and attempting to flee the Kingdom. Omar was sentenced to nine years and Sarah to six years and six months.[8][19][20] An appeal was lodged and denied; the hearing was held in secret and neither of the siblings or their legal representatives were present.[21]