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Federal agents are seen arresting Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in a newly released video

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Federal agents are seen arresting Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in a newly released video
News

News

Federal agents are seen arresting Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in a newly released video

2025-03-15 07:44 Last Updated At:07:50

NEW YORK (AP) — A video released Friday shows the moment federal immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student whose detention alarmed free-speech advocates.

The clip begins with at least three agents confronting Khalil in the lobby of his apartment building near the Columbia campus Saturday night. The agents inform him that he is “going to be under arrest," then order him to “turn around” and “stop resisting.”

“There’s no need for this,” Khalil replies calmly as they place him in handcuffs. “I’m going with you. No worries.”

As his wife, Noor Abdalla, cries out in protest, asking in Arabic: “My love, how can I call you?” Khalil assures her that he will be fine and instructs her to call his lawyer.

Abdalla, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, then asks the agents to identify themselves. “We don’t give our names,” one replies.

The video was released by Khalil’s attorneys the same day the Justice Department announced it was investigating whether the university concealed “illegal aliens” on its campus.

Khalil is a lawful U.S. resident with no criminal history. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he revoked Khalil's permission to be in the U.S. because of his role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, saying they had riled up “anti-Jewish” sentiment and amounted to support for Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza and attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has warned that the attempted deportation will be the “first of many” of people who joined protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza

Federal officials announced Friday that they had arrested another woman tied to protests outside Columbia University and revoked the visa of a Columbia University doctoral student, who then left the country.

Khalil's wife, Abdalla, described his arrest as “the most terrifying moment of my life” in a statement accompanying the video. She said the arrest happened as the couple were returning home from an Iftar celebration.

“They threatened to take me too," she said.

The arrests have triggered fear among international students at Columbia and been condemned by free speech groups, which accuse the Trump administration of seeking to criminalize political dissent.

Khalil’s lawyers have challenged his detention in court.

In court documents, they described how he was rushed from New York to Louisiana last weekend after his arrest.

The experience reminded Khalil of when he left Syria, where he was born, shortly after the forced disappearance of his friends there during a period of arbitrary detention in 2013, the lawyers wrote.

According to the lawsuit, federal agents denied Khalil's request to speak to a lawyer. When he was taken to a federal office building in lower Manhattan, Khalil saw an agent approach another agent and say, “the White House is requesting an update,” the lawyers wrote.

At some point early Sunday, Khalil was taken, handcuffed and shackled, to a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he spent the night in a cold waiting room. His request for a blanket was denied, the lawsuit said.

Then he was sent back to New York by van.

At 2:45 p.m. Sunday, he was put on an American Airlines flight from to Dallas, where he was placed on a second flight to Alexandria, Louisiana, arriving at 1 a.m. Monday.

Khalil is now being held in an isolated, low-slung ICE detention complex ringed by two rows of tall, barbed wire fences and surrounded by the endless pine forests. The complex, with a capacity of 1,160, is outside the small town of Jena, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Baton Rouge.

He now worries about his pregnant wife and is “also very concerned about missing the birth of his first child,” the lawsuit said.

In April, Khalil was to begin a job and receive health benefits that the couple was counting on, it added.

“It is very important to Mr. Khalil to be able to continue his protected political speech, advocating and protesting for the rights of Palestinians — both domestically and abroad,” the lawsuit said.

FILE - Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)

FILE - Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)

Next Article

51 dead and dozens more injured in nightclub fire in North Macedonia

2025-03-16 17:05 Last Updated At:17:10

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire that broke out early Sunday in a nightclub in North Macedonia’s eastern town of Kocani has killed 51 people and injured about 100 more, interior minister Panche Toshkovski told a press conference.

The blaze began around 2:35 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group, according to Toshkovski. He said the young clubgoers used pyrotechnics that caused the roof to catch fire. Videos showed chaos inside the night club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.

“This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” North Macedonia’s prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski. wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments.”

Family members have gathered in front of hospitals and Kocani’s city offices begging authorities for more information.

Toshkovski said police have arrested one man, but didn't provide details on the person's involvement.

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)

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