Arrest of pro-Palestinian activist sparks outrage, Trump says ‘first of many’
US authorities have arrested a Palestinian recent graduate who played a leading role in last year’s pro-Gaza protests
Protesters in New York and rights groups expressed outrage Monday over the arrest of a leader of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, as US President Donald Trump vowed further crackdowns.
Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate and one of the most prominent faces of the university’s high-profile protests, was arrested by US immigration officials over the weekend despite holding a permanent residency green card.
The Department of Homeland Security, confirming Khalil’s arrest on Sunday, claimed he had “led activities aligned to Hamas” and that the DHS action was taken “in coordination with the Department of State”.
“We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” the president wrote Monday on his Truth Social platform.
“This is the first arrest of many to come,” he pledged.