Indian-origin postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri, who has been working at Georgetown University, has been detained in the US and is now under threat of deportation. He has been charged by the authorities for “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close ties to a known or suspected terrorist.”
Arrest Outside His Virginia Home
In a report by Politico, masked agents arrested Suri in front of his home in Virginia on Monday evening. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused him of actively posting Hamas propaganda and encouraging antisemitism on social media.
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at DHS, posted on X, “Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.”
Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.
Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a… https://t.co/gU02gLAlX1
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 20, 2025
She also asserted, “Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025, that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”
Georgetown University Responds
Georgetown University said Suri arrived in the US on a visa to carry out doctoral research on peacemaking in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was instructing a course called Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia at the university’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Since his arrest, Georgetown University has restricted access to his profile, requiring a login to view any information.
Who is Badar Khan Suri?
Dr. Badar Khan Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He earned his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, in 2020.
His research focused on “Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies, and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq.” His work explored the challenges of introducing democracy in ethnically diverse societies and the complexities of state-building efforts.
Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a US citizen and a first-year student at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. She hails from Gaza.
