Lawyer in Saudi trans student's suicide note had embassy links

The suicide of Eden Knight, a Saudi transgender woman, after posting a suicide note on social media platform X, has triggered immense grief among her friends and followers. The suicide note, read by millions, revealed that Eden had attempted to seek political asylum in the United States, but an American lawyer convinced her to return to Saudi Arabia, where her transgender identity was unacceptable to her family and the state. The tragic event underscores the vulnerability of transgender individuals in environments where their identities are not recognized or protected.

An investigation by the BBC World Service has identified the lawyer as Bader Al-Omair, who previously worked at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C. Evidence suggests that he was also involved in several controversial cases of Saudi students returning to Saudi Arabia from the United States, two of whom were later charged with murder committed during their university years. These allegations raise serious questions about the lawyer's role and the potential influence of the Saudi government.

Eden Knight came from a respected family in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, she received a Saudi government scholarship to study at George Mason University in Virginia. In early 2022, Eden decided to transition, beginning to wear women's clothing and taking estrogen. This decision marked a significant turning point in her life, as she embraced her true identity despite the potential risks.

Eden found a welcoming community on X and Discord and began gaining attention online. She once posted a photo of her Saudi ID card next to her current, feminized appearance, a post that quickly went viral. In Saudi Arabia, transgender identities are not tolerated by society or the government. Many Saudi transgender individuals living abroad have reported experiencing harassment and even violence. The stark contrast between her online acceptance and the reality in Saudi Arabia highlights the challenges she faced.

Returning to Saudi Arabia was likely fraught with difficulty for Eden. It is understood that her student visa expired around the time she posted the viral tweet, so she decided to seek political asylum in the United States to obtain permanent residency. An old friend introduced her to Michael Pocalyko, an American private investigator. According to Hayden, a friend who lived with Eden in Georgia at the time, Pocalyko offered to help her apply for political asylum and repair her relationship with her family. The offer seemed like a lifeline at a time when she was feeling increasingly vulnerable.

Other friends shared messages from Eden stating that Pocalyko told her she needed to move from Georgia to Washington, D.C. to file her application. According to Eden's last X post in late October 2022, the private investigator picked her up at the train station in the capital, accompanied by a Saudi lawyer named Bader. The involvement of multiple individuals and the change in location added complexity to her situation.

"I'm really optimistic and believe this will work," Eden wrote in her final post. She said Bader put her up in a nice apartment near Washington, D.C. and took her sightseeing. But as time went on, she seemed to question his motives. Eden wrote in messages to the BBC that Bader was trying to "detransition" her. She told friends that Bader tried to throw away all her women's clothing and make her stop hormone therapy. These actions raised serious concerns about Bader's true intentions and the pressure Eden was under.

Eden also told friends that Bader advised her that she could not apply for political asylum in the United States and had to return to Saudi Arabia to do so. An American immigration expert said this advice was incorrect. In December 2022, Eden messaged a friend saying, "I'm going [back to Saudi] with the lawyer and hoping for the best." Her suicide note on X made it clear that the lawyer was the person named "Bader." This misinformation and the subsequent decision to return to Saudi Arabia had devastating consequences.

Soon after, Eden told friends that returning to Saudi Arabia was a mistake. She messaged that her parents had taken her passport and the government had instructed her to close her X account. Eden told friends that she had evidence that her parents had hired people to bring her back to Saudi Arabia, but she never shared it. "The lawyer who helped me apply for political asylum was working with my parents behind my back," she told one of her friends. The sense of betrayal and isolation she must have felt is unimaginable.

In the months that followed, Eden's friends said she lost any hope of escaping Saudi Arabia. She took a junior position at a tech company and resumed her original male identity in public. Eden messaged a friend saying she tried to continue taking estrogen, but her parents confiscated it multiple times. Eden told friends she suffered constant verbal abuse and sent friends a secretly recorded video of a family member yelling that she had been brainwashed by Western ideas. Eden died by suicide on March 12, 2023. The tragic end to her story underscores the immense pressure and despair she faced.

We wanted to find "Bader" – the lawyer Eden accused of trying to "detransition" her and convincing her to return home – to ask him more about what happened before her death. We searched for lawyers with that name in the Washington, D.C. area and found Bader Al-Omair. There was limited information about him online, but an outdated directory of Riyadh professionals gave his full Arabic name, which in turn led us to an inactive Facebook account showing him in a photo at Harvard Law School. The search for answers led to a complex investigation and the uncovering of potentially damaging information.

In text messages Eden sent to a friend, she mentioned that her lawyer had attended Harvard. Then, a source shared a key photo – taken by Eden from the apartment Mr. Omair had arranged for her. We were able to locate the photo to a residential area outside of Washington, D.C. A person there told us that he knew Eden and had seen her with Mr. Omair. This confirmation provided crucial evidence linking Omair to Eden and her circumstances.

He said Eden had women's clothing, jewelry, and makeup, but she had to hide them when Mr. Omair visited. The witness said he made her cut her hair short and told her not to shave. We tried to contact Mr. Omair multiple times, but he did not respond. When we visited the address he had registered with the Washington, D.C. bar, we saw a man matching his photo get into an SUV and drive away. His attempts to avoid contact raised further suspicion.

We followed the car and noticed that the license plate was special – its code indicated that the car was issued by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C., and that the vehicle's owner was an embassy staffer. Mr. Omair's role at the embassy was to provide support to Saudi students in the United States – a lawyer who previously worked with him told us. We found some news reports highlighting Mr. Omair's help to those left homeless by hurricanes in Florida, for example. But we also found that his help extended to more controversial situations. The connection to the Saudi embassy and the nature of his assistance raised serious questions about his activities.

On October 13, 2018, two Saudi students were questioned by U.S. police in connection with the death of an aspiring rapper in North Carolina – who was reportedly stabbed after an altercation with the two men. About two months later, Abdullah Alhariri and Sultan Alsugair were charged with murder, but by then they had left the United States. An email shared with us shows that Mr. Alhariri flew back to Saudi Arabia just four days after the stabbing. Our source told us the email included details of return flights that Mr. Omair had arranged for Mr. Alhariri and Mr. Alsugair. This revelation suggests a pattern of involvement in sensitive cases and potential assistance in helping individuals avoid legal consequences.

Neither student has ever commented publicly on the case. Another email shows that a month later, Mr. Omair received a flight invoice that our source said he needed to get reimbursed from the Saudi embassy. Another source said he had worked with him, representing dozens of other Saudi students in the U.S. on charges ranging from speeding to drunk driving. "Bader would attend meetings with a form in Arabic, on Saudi embassy letterhead, for the students to sign, [in which] they promised to reimburse the Saudi government for legal fees once they returned home." The use of embassy resources and the promise of reimbursement raise concerns about potential influence and control.

Sources told us that students would appear at the first hearing but disappear before any subsequent hearings, although we don't know if Mr. Omair was involved. In 2019, the FBI warned that Saudi officials may be assisting Saudi citizens in evading U.S. legal proceedings. "The FBI assesses that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) officials almost certainly assist Saudi citizens residing in the United States to avoid legal problems, undermining the U.S. judicial process. This assessment has high confidence." The FBI's warning highlights the potential for foreign interference in the U.S. legal system.

Sources tell us that Mr. Omair continues to live and work in the United States. He owns multiple commercial properties around Washington, D.C., and appears to have formed a new law firm in Virginia in August 2024, where he is a named partner. Michael Pocalyko, Bader Al-Omair, and the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to our questions. We contacted Eden's family to ask if they would like to participate in this story, but they did not respond. The lack of response from key individuals and entities underscores the sensitivity and complexity of the case, leaving many questions unanswered.