Muslim gets garda ‘jail’ threat

A US-BASED Muslim political activist claims gardaí warned him he faced spending weeks in jail after he was stopped at Shannon Airport by American immigration officials and handed over to Irish authorities.

Sabri Samirah, the head of the Illinois headquarters of the United Muslim American Association (UMAA), was returning from a family visit to Jordan when he was prevented from flying on to the US, where he has lived for the past 15 years.

Mr Samirah was held overnight and said he was told to buy a return ticket to Jordan or remain in jail for days or weeks “until an Irish judge decides what to do with you”.