Newly released footage shows plainclothes agents detaining Mahmoud Khalil at his home. His wife, Noor Abdalla—eight months pregnant—records the tense scene as the agents refuse to produce a warrant and abruptly end a call from the family’s solicitor.
Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate, has been a leading voice in campus protests demanding divestment from companies linked to Israel.
Born in Syria in 1995, he migrated and later pursued higher education abroad. He arrived in the US on a student visa in 2022 and obtained a green card after marrying Noor, a US citizen.
At Columbia, he served as a key negotiator for Columbia United Apartheid Divest (CUAD), mediating between protesters and the university administration.
Khalil faces no criminal charges and his arrest has drawn widespread criticism, with advocates arguing it is a politically motivated attempt to suppress dissent and chill free speech.
