Court Documents Claim Student Who Led Pro-Palestine Protests Admitted to Building Guns to ‘Kill Jews’

Court documents claim that a leader of pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University once told a gun shop owner he had built guns to “kill Jews.”  

Immigration officials arrested Mohsen Mahdawi in April as the Trump administration continues to crackdown on antisemitism and terrorist sympathizers who can be seen as a threat to U.S. national security.  

On Tuesday, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, shared a photo of court filings that claim in 2015, Mahdawi spoke with a gun shop owner in Vermont and offered to work at the shop without monetary compensation.  

“According to the report,” the court filing reads, “petitioner ‘supposedly told’ the gun shop owner ‘that he had considerable firearm experience and used to build modified 9mm submachine guns to kill Jews while he was in Palestine.’” 

The document also claims that Mahdawi has “admitted to being involved in and supporting antisemitic acts of violence.” 

Mahdawi was born in the West Bank and has been living in the U.S. on an immigration green card for a decade. He just graduated from Columbia University this month with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and helped to start the university’s Palestinian Student Union.  

After his arrest last month, U.S. District Judge William Sessions ruled that Mahdawi could not be removed from the U.S. until there was further court review of the case.  

After he was held for approximately two weeks, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release. 

“Never give up on the idea that justice will prevail,” Mahdawi said upon his release. “We want to stand up for humanity, because the rest of the world—not only Palestine—is watching us. And what is going to happen in America is going to affect the rest of the world.” 

During an interview with CBS News released Monday, Mahdawi said he is a “peacemaker,” adding, “and when they arrested me, that is a red flag to everybody.” 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit will hear arguments from the Trump administration asking the court to stay the lower court’s order while the case moves forward.  

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