FBI Closed Hamas Tip on Mahmoud Khalil Before ICE Arrest — Documents Reveal

Released FBI records reveal that an anonymous tip accusing Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil of calling for "violence on behalf of Hamas" was deemed unworthy of further investigation — yetICE nonetheless detained him two days after the agency received the claim.

According to the heavily redacted documents, the FBI received the tip on March 6, last year, listing Khalil incorrectly as a 22-year-old. By March 19, 2025, the bureau had closed its inquiry, concluding that Khalil "does not warrant further FBI investigation." That determination, however, did not prevent federal immigration agents from arresting him days earlier at his Columbia University residence and transporting him thousands of miles to a Louisiana detention facility.

The timing raises questions about the evidentiary basis for Khalil's continued detention. Despite the FBI's findings, the Trump administration publicly labeled him a "Hamas supporter" and national security threat — a characterization the bureau's own records appear to undercut. The administration has pursued Khalil under a rarely used wartime statute tied to alleged ties to Hamas, even as his legal team argues the charges amount to retaliation for protected speech. Khalil's attorneys have filed challenges to his detention, and multiple courts are weighing whether the government's rationale satisfies constitutional thresholds. The case has become a focal point for debates over immigration enforcement, academic free speech, and the scope of executive authority in targeting pro-Palestinian activists.