Sami Hamdi to be freed from US immigration detention

Sami Hamdi, a British journalist and outspoken critic of Israel, has been in ICE custody for weeks.

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Hamdi, a media commentator and outspoken critic of Israel, last month while he was on a speaking tour in the US.

The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged at the time that Hamdi supports terrorism and poses a threat to national security, while his lawyers have argued he was targeted for criticising Israel and its war in Gaza.

Hamdi will be released from ICE detention in the next few days and return to the UK, his representatives say.

Hamdi was visiting the US to speak at events for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group, when ICE officers arrested him at the San Francisco International Airport on 26 October.