LOS ANGELES (AP) — An Egyptian flight student is expected to appear in immigration court Friday to determine whether he should be deported after being investigated by federal agents for posting threatening comments on his Facebook page about Donald Trump.
Emadeldin Elsayed, a 23-year-old aspiring pilot from Cairo, has a hearing scheduled before Immigration Judge Kevin Riley in Los Angeles.
U.S. Secret Service agents interviewed Elsayed about his post in early February, then returned to his Los Angeles-area flight school eight days later and told him federal prosecutors were not charging him with a crime but his visa had been revoked.
Immigration authorities then arrested Elsayed. He has been detained since Feb. 12 at an Orange County jail.
Elsayed wrote that he was willing to serve a life sentence for killing Trump and the world would thank him, said his lawyer, Hani Bushra.
Elsayed said he was angered by the Republican presidential contender’s comments about banning Muslims from traveling to the United States, but never intended to harm anyone.
Trump has used especially tough talk on immigration during his campaign. The Republican presidential contender has vowed to build a wall along the entire Mexican border and called for a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that Elsayed was arrested because he violated “the terms of his admission to the United States.” The agency did not provide further details.
Immigration authorities alleged in court filings that Universal Air Academy had tipped off federal officials to the Facebook post, Bushra said.
Alex Khatib, the flight school’s owner, said he knew nothing of the case until federal agents showed up to interview and later detain Elsayed.
He said federal officials asked him to pull paperwork he had issued so Elsayed could study there, but that he would take him back if the government allowed.
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Sometimes Trouble knocks on your door, and sometimes you post flyers to announce that you are hosting a big party for Trouble and all of its friends.
Pratchettesque comment, Ottnot.
Difficult to argue the outcome.
Granted there is much worse posted daily to Facebook regarding every stripe of individual and criminal acts.
But if you are a 23-year-old Egyptian Muslim flight school student here on a visa?
Restraint should not require much thought.
jw1
Something about his upbringing apparently taught him that, if you disagree with political candidates it’s a good move to publicly threaten murdering them and prominently sign your name. Even if you’re visiting their country on only a flimsy visa.
Readers. even if you hate Trump, remember that he never mentioned murder in the immigration context, only this chap did.
Actually, Drumpf did advocate murder. He said that we should kill the families of terrorists, even if they had nothing to do with the terrorist act.