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Citadel Chief says Cadet expected back
Sunday, November 4, 2001
BY BRIAN HICKS
Of The Post and Courier Staff
Word of a Muslim cadet's arrest on immigration charges trickled across a mostly deserted Citadel campus Saturday as officials at the military college said they expected the cadet back in class once the matter is cleared up.
Maj. Gen. John Grinalds, president of The Citadel, said that he is concerned about the cadet being in jail and Saturday asked the student body and the public not to jump to any conclusions because he is of Middle Eastern descent.
"I want to urge everyone not to speculate about this," Grinalds said, referring to attitudes toward Muslims since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. "I know the student and my impression of him has always been positive. I was concerned when I heard about this. He's one of our cadets, so he's one of my sons and daughters. At this point, this doesn't have any effect on his status at The Citadel."
The Citadel will not release the cadet's name, but The Post and Courier learned Friday that Yaser Khatib, a senior at the college, was being held at the Charleston County Detention Center for the Immigration and Naturalization Services.
An INS official in Washington on Saturday confirmed that Khatib, 23, is "under investigation for immigration violations," but would not say what those were.
The INS spokesman said the agency does not comment on ongoing cases. A spokesman for the FBI says it has no part in this investigation.
Grinalds said INS agents showed up on The Citadel's campus on Wednesday - Halloween - around 1:30 p.m. and told officials they were looking for a cadet. After school officials found him, agents talked privately with the cadet in a room in Capers Hall.
After about 20 minutes, Citadel officials said, the agents escorted the cadet out and said he was under arrest. INS investigators were back on campus Friday with a warrant, and searched the cadet's room. Grinalds said he doesn't know what - if anything - the investigators took.
As of Saturday evening, Khatib still was being housed at the county jail, which holds local suspects for the INS.
With the entire Corps of Cadets enjoying one of the few open weekends when they can leave campus at will, there were few students around to talk about the events of the week. Most of those hanging around Saturday said they did not know Khatib.
Matthew Green, a junior in Band Company, said Khatib stayed in the same building as him - the trailers serving as Band Barracks - because Khatib's barracks in the 4th battalion were full. Green said he didn't know the senior and hadn't heard much about the incident.
Grinalds did confirm that the cadet who has been arrested is one of 12 students out of a student body of 1,908 who signed a form prohibiting The Citadel from releasing any information about him - including his name. Normally, a college is allowed to give out name, local address, major and expected year of graduation.
School officials would say only this much: He is one of 59 international students - and only 11 Muslims - currently enrolled in The Citadel. According to the website of the college's Muslim Students Association, Yaser Khatib is the president of its executive committee.
Khatib spoke with a Post and Courier reporter less than two weeks ago, and said he was concerned about his religion being associated with terrorism.
International students go through a yearlong process for admission that includes proving their immigration papers are in order. The school had detected no problem, Grinalds said. Also, the college knows of no other students under investigation.
Whatever the reason for this is, it is INS generated. The Citadel is cooperating with the investigation, which thus far has included only handing over the cadet's paperwork.
Similar incidents have occurred on 144 college campuses across the country in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, but Citadel officials said they knew of none that had turned up anything.
Grinalds says he has spoken to the cadet's mother twice by phone since the arrest, but said he didn't think anyone from the school had talked to him.
No one has any idea how long it will take INS to finish its investigation, and Grinalds said that he can only hope for a "satisfactory outcome" for everyone. Unless events "go South," Grinalds said he expects the cadet back to campus.
"He'll be right back here - we miss him," Grinalds said.
Contact Brian Hicks at (843) 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.
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