British journalist Sami Hamdi was detained by ICE on October 26 at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as he was embarking on a speaking tour throughout the U.S.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the organization that hosted a gala Hamdi spoke at just a day before being detained, said his charging documents filed in court did not include any security concerns, nor was he accused of committing any crimes.
Authorities said Hamdi was being detained for overstaying his visa. But according to CAIR, Hamdi had the proper visa that was suddenly revoked without explanation or notice while he was on his tour.
Hamdi is based in London and primarily covers U.K. foreign policy and the Middle East, notably the conflict between Israel and Gaza and the recently U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal.
Hamdi’s arrest came after right-wing online figures Laura Loomer and Amy Mek made a series of posts on social media calling Hamdi a threat to national security and claimed he was “training U.S. Muslims” in electrical sabotage. None of these claims made it into the charging documents against Hamdi.
CAIR said Monday that Hamdi accepted an offer to voluntarily leave the U.S.
