Latest news with #detainment
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about Ayman Soliman, the detained Muslim chaplain whose supporters were arrested
More than a dozen people protesting the detainment of a Muslim chaplain were arrested Thursday night in Cincinnati. Video from the demonstration shows some protesters blocking the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky, as well as one officer punching a protester while others wrestle him to the ground. At least 13 people were arrested, including two journalists. The demonstrators were there to support Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who has worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and was detained last week during a check-in with immigration officials. Here's what to know about his case: Who is Ayman Soliman? Soliman, 51, served as an imam — a Muslim religious leader — in Egypt for 14 years before fleeing to the United States in 2014, according to the Initiative on Islam and Medicine, where he serves as a board member. According to his lawyers, he was granted asylum in 2018 based on past persecution for his work as a journalist in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprising. His lawyers say he was jailed and tortured for reporting on the intense political conflict. Soliman was hired as a prison chaplain in Oregon but soon lost that job after the FBI placed an unexplained 'flag' on his background profile. In a case that is still pending, he sued to get more information about the flag and to clear his name. In 2021, Soliman began working at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where his lawyers say he was 'beloved for his steady presence at the side of ill children, parents and other caregivers.' He has a wife and child who remain in Egypt. Why was he detained? In late 2024, a U.S. asylum officer began proceedings to terminate Soliman's asylum status, according to his legal team. The officer cited Soliman's board membership of an organization called Al-Jameya al Shareya as 'material support for terrorism" given the group's links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The U.S. has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, though President Donald Trump considered it during his first term. Soliman's lawyers say the Al-Jameya al Shareya is not a terrorist group but rather a nongovernmental organization that provides medical and charitable community services. They accuse the government, which knew about the board membership when it granted asylum, of reversing course in retaliation against his lawsuit. 'After Mr. Soliman stood up for his rights in court, an individual officer decided to take the extreme, unusual and incorrect decision of terminating his lawful status,' they wrote in an update shared by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance on Wednesday. 'What's more, Mr. Soliman's need for asylum has not changed,' they said. 'He faces death if forced to return to Egypt.' Soliman's asylum status was reversed in early June. He was detained on July 9 during a check-in with immigration officials and has been held at the Butler County Jail. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on Soliman's case Friday. On the day of Soliman's arrest, the agency's assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote on X that 'this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist.' 'He had his asylum status revoked by the (asterisk)checks notes(asterisk) BIDEN Administration,' she wrote. What happens next? A federal court has granted a temporary restraining order preventing Soliman from being moved out of Ohio before Wednesday, the date of his bond hearing. He also is due to make an initial appearance in immigration court Tuesday, but will participate via video feed from the jail.
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
What to know about Ayman Soliman, the detained Muslim chaplain whose supporters were arrested
More than a dozen people protesting the detainment of a Muslim chaplain were arrested Thursday night in Cincinnati. Video from the demonstration shows some protesters blocking the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky, as well as one officer punching a protester while others wrestle him to the ground. At least 13 people were arrested, including two journalists.
Associated Press
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
What to know about Ayman Soliman, the detained Muslim chaplain whose supporters were arrested
More than a dozen people protesting the detainment of a Muslim chaplain were arrested Thursday night in Cincinnati. Video from the demonstration shows some protesters blocking the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky, as well as one officer punching a protester while others wrestle him to the ground. At least 13 people were arrested, including two journalists. The demonstrators were there to support Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who has worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and was detained last week during a check-in with immigration officials. Here's what to know about his case: Who is Ayman Soliman? Soliman, 51, served as an imam — a Muslim religious leader — in Egypt for 14 years before fleeing to the United States in 2014, according to the Initiative on Islam and Medicine, where he serves as a board member. According to his lawyers, he was granted asylum in 2018 based on past persecution for his work as a journalist in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprising. His lawyers say he was jailed and tortured for reporting on the intense political conflict. Soliman was hired as a prison chaplain in Oregon but soon lost that job after the FBI placed an unexplained 'flag' on his background profile. In a case that is still pending, he sued to get more information about the flag and to clear his name. In 2021, Soliman began working at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where his lawyers say he was 'beloved for his steady presence at the side of ill children, parents and other caregivers.' He has a wife and child who remain in Egypt. Why was he detained? In late 2024, a U.S. asylum officer began proceedings to terminate Soliman's asylum status, according to his legal team. The officer cited Soliman's board membership of an organization called Al-Jameya al Shareya as 'material support for terrorism' given the group's links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The U.S. has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, though President Donald Trump considered it during his first term. Soliman's lawyers say the Al-Jameya al Shareya is not a terrorist group but rather a nongovernmental organization that provides medical and charitable community services. They accuse the government, which knew about the board membership when it granted asylum, of reversing course in retaliation against his lawsuit. 'After Mr. Soliman stood up for his rights in court, an individual officer decided to take the extreme, unusual and incorrect decision of terminating his lawful status,' they wrote in an update shared by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance on Wednesday. 'What's more, Mr. Soliman's need for asylum has not changed,' they said. 'He faces death if forced to return to Egypt.' Soliman's asylum status was reversed in early June. He was detained on July 9 during a check-in with immigration officials and has been held at the Butler County Jail. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on Soliman's case Friday. On the day of Soliman's arrest, the agency's assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote on X that 'this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist.' 'He had his asylum status revoked by the (asterisk)checks notes(asterisk) BIDEN Administration,' she wrote. What happens next? A federal court has granted a temporary restraining order preventing Soliman from being moved out of Ohio before Wednesday, the date of his bond hearing. He also is due to make an initial appearance in immigration court Tuesday, but will participate via video feed from the jail.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- BBC News
PC said force used during mental health crisis was proportionate
An officer involved in the detainment and restraint of a 26-year-old man during a mental health crisis has told an inquest the force used was "proportionate". Kaine Fletcher died at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on the morning of 3 July 2022, hours after he was detained under the Mental Health Act. Nottingham Coroner's Court heard how the father of two, who had not been accused of a crime, was placed in handcuffs, leg restraints and a spit guard, and restrained on a pavement during the Hannah Bodle, who used emergency powers to detain him, told the inquest "every decision that was made at that time was made in the best interests" of Mr Fletcher. The jury inquest began on 30 June and has heard Mr Fletcher had been diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder in 2020. He had also struggled with a drug addiction for several years. Nottinghamshire Police officers attended the young people's charity YMCA, where Mr Fletcher was staying on 3 July, after a family member called 999 over concerns he might be at risk of court heard there was an eight-hour wait for an ambulance that night, so police were asked to attend to carry out a welfare check. In her evidence, PC Bodle said the 26-year-old's room was "in disarray" and described him as "erratic, difficult to understand" and said he "appeared distressed". After initially agreeing to go with the two officers to hospital for a mental assessment, he left the accommodation and got into their police car. However, moments later, Mr Fletcher no longer believed the pair were police officers and became more distressed, the court heard. Her colleague's body-worn camera footage showed PC Bodle used her warrant card to prove her identity, but 23 seconds later, while Mr Fletcher was still unconvinced, she detained him under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. Section 136 gives police emergency powers that allow them to remove a person to a place of safety if they believe it is necessary. Mr Fletcher resisted being detained, and the inquest heard how a number of other officers attended shortly after. Mr Fletcher was restrained in the police car for 10 minutes with handcuffs and leg restraints. After hitting his head on the inside of the police car, he was removed and further restrained on the pavement, the court heard. Mr Fletcher was eventually lifted into a police van by officers but began hitting his head against the inside of the was then decided he could not be transported to hospital "in that manner".The court heard Mr Fletcher said he was struggling to breathe on two occasions and at one point asked to be taken to Bodle told the inquest Mr Fletcher's physical condition was monitored "throughout" the period of restraint. When asked by coroner Alexandra Pountey whether she would agree the involvement of more officers was likely to "escalate the situation", PC Bodle said "you could argue that". PC Bodle said she believed trying to "contain" Mr Fletcher, who she said was "clearly in a mental health crisis", was the right thing to do to ensure he did not abscond and potentially bring harm to himself."The force that was used was proportionate, I believe," she said. The court heard PC Bodle did not put on her body-worn camera until after the incident had escalated. At one point during his detainment outside the accommodation, the court heard PC Bodle "struck him on the legs" which she did not include in her initial "use of force report", a form used to document physical force used by police against an individual. She told the court: "It was done after a very tiresome, emotional incident - if it wasn't on there it wasn't done deliberately."The inquest you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE Agents Just Detained a NYC Mayoral Candidate
New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was dragged from the hallways of a Lower Manhattan immigration court and detained by masked ICE agents on Tuesday. It is still unclear if Lander will be charged with anything. In videos circulating on social media, Lander can be seen with his arms linked to an immigration court defendant as ICE agents attempt to remove him from the building. Lander and his staff can be heard repeatedly asking for a judicial warrant, saying he'd let go of the defendant once he saw one. ICE did not oblige, and instead detained him, pressing him against a wall and cuffing his hands behind his back. It's clear from the video that ICE agents determined that the mayoral candidate was obstructing their work. If Lander is charged, it would suggest that any attempt to protest or even document ICE actions could be construed as an arrestable offense. It's clearly already one worthy of detainment. 'You do not have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,' Lander said multiple times while ICE tightened the handcuffs. Lander's detainment has been met with shock and condemnation. Multiple city leaders, including Lander's wife, Megan Barnette, and fellow mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, held a press conference immediately following the incident. 'NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was just arrested by Trump's ICE agents because he asked to see a judicial warrant,' Mamdani wrote on X. 'This is fascism, and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now.' 'ICE just arrested Brad Lander, the NYC Comptroller and one of the leading candidates for Mayor, without grounds. He was conducting routine immigration court work, escorting individuals from hearings,' New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky. 'He asked ICE for their warrant—well within his legal rights. This is political intimidation.' 'I feel really rattled and scared, and my husband is a candidate for mayor, is an elected citywide official, is U.S. citizen,' Barnette said. He 'has a U.S. passport, and I know in all likelihood he is OK. And all of the other folks in that building are risking having their families torn apart with inadequate explanation. And it's an abomination.' ICE maintains that Comptroller Lander was obstructing an arrest by linking arms with the defendant and asking to see a warrant.
