An Egyptian student enrolled in a U.S. flight school is set to appear in an immigration court Friday to face questions about whether he should be deported over threatening comments he posted on social media about U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Emadeldin Elsayed, a 23-year-old student from Cairo, is appearing before a Los Angeles immigration judge after posting on his Facebook page that he would be willing to serve a life sentence for killing Trump. He said he believed the world would thank him.
Immigration authorities have held Elsayed in jail in Orange County, California, since February 12.
Elsayed's attorney told reporters it was clear his client was not making a serious threat.
After posting the comments in early February, Elsayed was interviewed by U.S. Secret Service agents. He was told that he would not be charged with a federal crime, but that his student visa had been revoked.
The flight school's owner told reporters he had revoked Elsayed's permission to study there at the request of federal authorities.
The owner has also said he would be willing to reinstate Elsayed if it were cleared by the government.
Elsayed has said he posted the comments about Trump after the controversial candidate said he would ban Muslims from traveling to the United States. Elsayed said although he was angry, he never planned to harm anyone.