Emadeldin Elsayed, an Egyptian student who had got into trouble in the United States over a Facebook post last month in which he said he will do the world a "favour" by killing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is set to leave the country after his student visa was revoked. He may return to Cairo this week, his attorney told Reuters.
Reacting to Trump's calls for barring Muslim migrants from entering the U.S., 23-year-old Elsayed had taken to Facebook last month to say: "I literally don't mind taking a lifetime sentence in jail for killing this guy, I would actually be doing the whole world a favor."
The U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) took him into custody and held him in a California jail, as per reports. His student visa was also revoked and he was expelled from his aviation school.
Last week, an immigration judge allowed the Egyptian student to voluntarily leave the U.S. instead of facing formal deportation. Prosecutors also decided not to bring criminal charges against him.
Following his Facebook comments against Trump on Feb. 3, Elsayed was questioned by the Secret Service, who also searched his house and went through his phone before arresting him nine days later.
The student's lawyer claimed he was being targeted because he was a Muslim from the Middle East. "He's being detained, I think, primarily because he's a Muslim and he's a Middle Easterner.This kid is going to become a poster boy for hating America," his attorney Hani Bushra had told The Associated Press.
Trump was heavily criticised for his controversial comments against Muslims and immigrants during his campaign speeches, after he sought a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. The billionaire has emerged as a front-runner in the Republican nomination race ahead of the November elections.
