An Indian academic pursuing research in the United States has been detained by immigration authorities, sparking concerns over academic freedom and political targeting. Badar Khan Suri, a scholar at Georgetown University, was taken into custody outside his home in Virginia by masked agents.

Suri is an Indian national and a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University’s Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service. His academic research focused on peacebuilding and state-building in conflict zones, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq.