British pro-Palestinian Arab commentator Sami Hamdi arrived in London on Thursday after spending over two weeks in US immigration detention, Reuters reported.
Hamdi was arrested on October 26 at San Francisco International Airport after American authorities revoked his visa during a speaking tour in which he criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Hamdi agreed to voluntarily leave the United States.
“It’s wonderful to be back after being exonerated by two federal judges, both of whom found that there were serious breaches of freedom of speech,” Hamdi told reporters at Heathrow Airport, where he was welcomed by his family, according to Reuters.
Hamdi said the only allegation against him was overstaying his visa, which he claimed was revoked without warning. He maintained that he had complied with all visa conditions and alleged the detention was politically motivated due to his advocacy for Gaza.
“I want to say that this wasn’t just an attack on me. It was an attack on the freedoms of ordinary Americans and citizens worldwide. It was an attack on their freedom to speak the truth in the face of hatred,” he claimed.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that Hamdi’s visa was cancelled under security regulations and that he was in the country illegally. Rights organizations and press freedom advocates condemned the detention, calling it an assault on free speech.
Hamdi, managing director of The International Interest and a regular analyst on British television, had spoken at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala in California and was scheduled to appear at another event in Florida before his arrest.
Hamdi’s arrest followed remarks made in a video shortly after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. In the clip, Hamdi asked: “How many of you felt it in your hearts when you got the news that it happened? How many of you felt the euphoria? Allahu akbar.”
Homeland Security cited the video as evidence of support for Hamas. Hamdi later claimed his intent was not to praise the attacks but to highlight what he called “a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians.”