(Adnkronos) – Sami Hamdi, the British journalist detained for over two weeks in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) center, returned to London today. Hamdi was stopped on October 26 at San Francisco airport, the day after his speech at the Council on American Islamic Relations gala. Authorities claim Hamdi was stopped because his visa had expired, but the journalist and his lawyers state that there were no issues with the visa’s validity and that the arrest occurred due to his criticism of Israel.
“I am deeply grateful to my family, my lawyers, and every person in the world who prayed, protested, and refused to remain silent. I want to be clear: I have not violated any law nor posed any threat. My only ‘guilt’ was speaking the naked truth about the genocide in Gaza,” declared Hamdi, a well-known analyst and television commentator on Middle Eastern issues.
Hamdi then condemned the “harsh” detention conditions at the Ice center, where he was confined in a small room with dozens of men, was forced to wait 8 hours before seeing a doctor, and was kept handcuffed despite not having committed any crime. Ice stated that Hamdi “voluntarily requested to depart and we were happy to arrange his departure.” “Under the Trump presidency, those who support terrorism and undermine national security will not be allowed to enter our country,” the statement continued.
