Former Twitter employee charged with US espionage

A San Francisco court convicted Ahmed Abu Ammo of selling user data to Saudi Arabia.

A San Francisco, California (USA) federal court sentenced the former manager on Tuesday (9 Aug 2022). Twitter Users of the site were accused of spying for Saudi Arabia. A jury found Ahmed Abuammo, a citizen of the United States and Lebanon, guilty of six criminal charges.

He helped track down journalists and celebrities in the Middle East and North Africa. Charges include money laundering and fraud.

According to prosecutors, Abu Ammo received at least $300,000 and a luxury watch worth $20,000 from Badr al-Azakkar, an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ahmed deposited the money into a relative’s account in Lebanon. He then transferred the amount to his US account.

Al-Asaker hired Abouammo to use his insider knowledge on Twitter and send private information about Saudi dissidents.

According to a statement sent to the news agency ReutersU.S. Department of Justice Attorney Stephanie Hinds said AbuAmmo “Breached the Sacred Faith” When selling personal customer information to a foreign government.

The trial lasted two and a half weeks and the sentence is yet to be determined. The former Twitter employee faces 10 to 20 years in prison for the crimes he’s accused of.

oh Power is 360 Twitter’s staff was contacted, but no response was received. The venue remains open for demonstrations.