Saturday, 24 May 2025, 08:49 PM

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

Eden Knight was from one of the Middle Eastern kingdom's most respected families. After moving to Virginia in 2019 on a Saudi government scholarship to study at George Mason University, Eden made the decision in early 2022 to transition from presenting as a man to presenting as a woman, by wearing feminine clothes and taking female sex hormones.


Eden found a community on X and Discord where she felt accepted and started to grow a following online. In one post, she shared a picture of her Saudi ID photo next to her new feminine look and the post went viral.


When a prominent Saudi trans woman posted her suicide note on X, her friends and followers were devastated. The note, viewed by millions, said a lawyer in the US - where she had been trying to claim asylum - had persuaded her into returning home to a family and country that would not accept her identity.


The BBC World Service has identified this man as Bader Alomair, who has worked at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington DC, evidence suggests. He is linked to controversial returns from the United States of several other Saudi students - including two later accused of committing murder during their time at university.


Mr Alomair has not responded to the allegations raised in BBC's investigation.

Document