What started as a regular airport check-in for a British family turned into a terrifying ordeal when a father of four was arrested just moments before boarding a flight back home.
Now, that man—Ahmed al-Doush—is facing 10 years behind bars in Saudi Arabia, and his family is still struggling to understand why.
A Sudden Arrest Before Heading Home
Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst for Bank of America, was preparing to return to Manchester from Riyadh with his pregnant wife and three kids.
But just as they were about to fly, plainclothes officers stopped him at King Khalid International Airport.
He told his wife to continue on to their layover in Turkey, promising he’d join them shortly.
He never did.
The Sudan-born British citizen was detained under Saudi Arabia’s sweeping anti-terror laws, accused of criticizing the government online and being associated with a known Saudi dissident based in London.
Locked Up and Left in the Dark
Ahmed’s arrest quickly turned into a drawn-out nightmare.
He was placed in solitary confinement for 33 days, denied access to a lawyer, and wasn’t even allowed contact with British consular officials for over two months.
He has a chronic thyroid condition and a back injury—both untreated for a long stretch of his imprisonment.
His wife, Amaher Nour, didn’t find out he’d been officially imprisoned until she and the kids were already back in Manchester.
And the worst part? Even after his sentencing, the family still hasn’t been told exactly what he was convicted of.
The Mysterious Tweet and Alleged Connections
So what’s he being punished for? The evidence is shaky.
According to his lawyer, Ahmed may have been arrested over a now-deleted 2018 tweet related to the war in Sudan—his homeland—which reportedly criticized Saudi involvement in Yemen.
The kicker? His account only had 37 followers, and he never posted anything directly critical of Saudi Arabia.
There’s also speculation that his friendship with the son of a Saudi dissident might’ve drawn attention, even though his family insists they never discussed politics.
The Legal Black Hole
Ahmed’s UK-based legal team says his treatment violates basic human rights.
Not only was he denied a fair chance to defend himself, but he wasn’t even told the specific charges or the evidence against him until well into his detention.
According to international law, that’s a serious breach of due process.
He wasn’t even allowed to choose his own lawyer in Saudi Arabia and was represented by a state-appointed one who later told his wife they couldn’t explain the exact reason for his conviction.
A Family Struggling Back Home
While Ahmed remains behind bars, his wife and children are scraping by in the UK.
Without his income, the family has had to rely on food banks.
Ahmed has missed the birth of his youngest son, Youssef, and only gets one tightly controlled phone call with his wife per week—where he’s forbidden to talk about the trial or prison conditions.
The UK Government Responds—Kind Of
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has raised the case with his Saudi counterpart, but so far, there’s been little transparency about what progress—if any—has been made.
The Foreign Office acknowledged that while they’re aware of the situation, they “can’t interfere” in another country’s legal process.
Human rights group Reprieve, which is advocating on Ahmed’s behalf, continues to call on the British government to do more, warning that his treatment sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression.
What Happens Next?
Ahmed al-Doush remains locked up in a maximum security prison.
His trial is reportedly nearing its conclusion, but his family still hasn’t been given full clarity on what led to his decade-long sentence.
His wife continues to speak out, demanding answers. As she put it: “The night times are the hardest…
I keep asking myself why, why, why has this happened.”