Latest: Judge orders bail in spy case; prosecutors appeal

SEATTLE (AP) - The Latest on a former Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia (all times local):

2:55 p.m.

A former Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia was ordered released on bond but will remain held at least temporarily because federal prosecutors say they plan to appeal.

Judge Paula L. McCandlis said Friday in Seattle federal court that Ahmad Abouammo could be released on bond with GPS monitoring and travel restrictions.

Prosecutors then said they planned to file an appeal and to put his release on hold pending a ruling. McCandlis gave prosecutors until 4:30 p.m. Friday to file the appeal, saying if they did not, Abouammo would be released.

Authorities say Abouammo acted as an agent of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government.

Family and friends say he is a dedicated husband and father who has overcome recent mental health struggles.

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9:16 a.m.

Family and friends of a former Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia say he is a dedicated husband and father who has overcome recent mental health struggles.

Authorities say Ahmad Abouammo acted as an agent of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government. Prosecutors say he and another man were rewarded by Saudi royal officials with a designer watch and tens of thousands of dollars funneled into secret bank accounts.

Abouammo is due in Seattle federal court Friday for a detention hearing. Two other suspects are believed to be in Saudi Arabia.

Relatives and friends of Abouammo say in letters of support filed to the court that he was always willing to help others, even after he moved to the United States.