Saudi case against Twitter user may have its roots in U.S.

The case shines a spotlight on the lengths to which the Kingdom has gone to target perceived critics

A Saudi humanitarian aid worker's anonymous Twitter account used for satire about Saudi Arabia's economy landed him in prison in the Kingdom over three years ago. But the story may have roots in an elaborate ploy that began in Silicon Valley and sparked a federal case against two Twitter employees accused of spying for the kingdom. The case, spanning from San Francisco to Riyadh, reveals Saudi Arabia's continued efforts at suppressing criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and shines a spotlight on the lengths to which the Kingdom has gone to target perceived critics.