Maryland native says she escaped Qatar with help of Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz

After she was trapped for five days in Qatar, Anjali Sharma says she is now safe in India. And she was even able to make it to her cousin’s wedding, with a little help from someone Time Magazine described as the “unlikely architect of Donald Trump’s political revival.”

The 26-year-old Sharma, an Owings Mills native and University of Maryland graduate, had been stranded in the Middle Eastern country since Feb. 28 after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran late last month and the airspace there was unexpectedly shut down.

She said she grew desperate after learning that the nearby U.S. Embassy was being evacuated while hearing numerous explosions that grew into the “loudest we’ve ever heard.” Sharma posted on social media about her plight and criticized a group she had heard about that was able to escape the region on a private jet.

Her salvation, she said, came from reaching out to Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, a member of the group she criticized on TikTok and who is credited with the president’s social media presence and podcast appearances that led to his 2024 presidential victory.

Sharma said she explained to Bruesewitz that she was alone in Doha and trying to get to India for her cousin’s wedding.

“Within minutes he responded, connected me with the right people, and personally helped coordinate a plan to get me safely across the border,” she wrote in a text Monday. “His quick response and willingness to step in and help, made a situation that felt impossible suddenly manageable.”

Although Qatar Airways reported that it had limited flights out of the region through airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman, Sharma said her passport expires in 5 1/2 months, which narrowly missed the cutoff of six months some countries require to gain entry.

“It’s ridiculous,” she wrote in a text message to The Banner. “No assistance for Doha at all.”

Crossing into Saudi Arabia was the only option to leave the country, she said.

“I knew this required serious action and that only a limited number of people could resolve. I reached out to Alex and was lucky enough to get a response back and receive aid,” she wrote.

Everything took place on Wednesday morning. (Sharma previously told The Banner she would not be able to inform the publication of her movements in real time due to security concerns.)

Bruesewitz, who could not be immediately reached for comment, was able to get Sharma a visa and a driver to enable her to get to the airport in Riyadh, Sharma said.

“The driver handled everything and during my checkpoints at the border I did not have to say a word, he took care of it all and told me not to worry,” she wrote, adding that the owner of the company the driver worked for was a personal friend of Bruesewitz.

Sharma arrived in India two days later. Bruesewitz kept up with her the entire journey to make her feel comfortable and safe, she wrote.

“I am beyond grateful that he cared to listen to my story and step in during a time of uncertainty,” she wrote in a text Monday. “I am so thankful.”

Sharma plans to remain in India with her family for a couple more weeks. It has been an adjustment for her.

“I’m unsure how to cope which is why I wanted to come here and be with my family,” she wrote. “It’s been hard sleeping, I wake up thinking I’m still in Doha. I’m also always on edge a bit.”