A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of Badar Khan Suri, the Georgetown University postdoctoral researcher detained by immigration officials in March for allegedly spreading propaganda in support of Hamas.

Federal Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles issued her order from the bench during a court hearing in Virginia, saying that the government presented no evidence to refute Suri’s claims that he was being punished for his views on the war in Gaza.

Suri, who is married to an American citizen, was being held in federal detention in Texas following his arrest.

Suri, an Indian national in the U.S. on a student visa, was accused of “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said in a statement in March.

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“Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas,” the DHS statement continued. DHS did not name the suspected terrorist or Hamas advisor.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined on March 15 that Suri’s activities and presence in the U.S. “rendered him deportable” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the senior official said. The act is a rarely used legal statute that gives Rubio sweeping power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rendered Badar Khan Suri “deportable” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a senior DHS official said in March. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool, File)

Suri was duly granted a visa to enter the U.S. to perform doctoral research on peace building in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Georgetown University spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News following his March arrest.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

A 33-year-old hiker died and four others were rescued from a mountain range in Arizona during extreme heat on Sunday, authorities said.

The hikers were trekking along the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix when they suffered heat-related issues at around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, Superstition Fire and Medical said in a social media post.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that 33-year-old Noah Farabaugh died during the rescue. The sheriff’s office said no further updates surrounding the death were expected, pending results from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The other four hikers were helped down the mountain and refused to be taken to a hospital, Superstition Fire and Medical said.

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The five hikers had been on the trail near the Wave Cave trailhead for about six hours when they experienced heat issues, the Arizona Republic reported, citing the Superstition fire officials.

The Superstition Mountains are located about 40 miles from Phoenix. (Superstition Fire and Medical )

Temperatures in the area exceeded 100 degrees on Sunday, heat that is around 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, the National Weather Service in Phoenix said.

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Authorities warned hikers to avoid hiking in extreme heat or excessive heat warnings.

Temperatures in the area exceeded 100 degrees on Sunday, the National Weather Service said. (Superstition Fire and Medical )

“As temperatures climb, so does the risk. Heat illness can set in fast, even for experienced hikers,” Superstition Fire and Medical said in the social media post. “Please stay safe and plan wisely. No hike is worth your life.”

The Superstition Mountains are located about 40 miles from Phoenix.

A drummer and green card holder for a Texas-based band was removed from a flight by federal immigration officials on Monday before the band was set to depart for a European tour.

Yamal Said, a member of the heavy Americana band Lord Buffalo, was detained at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who said they had a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly violated a restraining order at least twice, the Department of Homeland Security said on X.

Violating a protective order two or more times can lead to it becoming a felony in Texas, based on the circumstances. 

“Yamal Said is a Mexican national and lawful U.S. permanent resident,” the agency wrote on X sharing a news headline about the incident.

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“Said had a warrant for his arrest after violating a restraining order at least TWICE. If you come to our country and break our laws, you will be arrested. When he was attempting to leave the U.S., he was apprehended by CBP and has been turned over to local law enforcement.”

The exact nature of the protective order has not been made public. Said is currently being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center.

Said moved to the U.S. in the 1980s after a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City, Voyage Austin previously reported. He has been the band’s drummer for the last eight years and teaches music for Texas School for the Blind based in Austin, the outlet reported. 

Yamal Said is being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center. (Tarrant County Corrections Center)

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Paul Carlson, assistant principal at the school, remarked that Said is “a highly respected and long-serving member of our school community,” the Austin Chronicle reported.

Said’s detention forced the band to announce on social media that it had canceled its tour.

“We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support from y’all today. We still know very little about the situation, but we have been asked by our drummer’s family and his legal team to respect their privacy while this situation evolves,” the band wrote. 

Said and his band were set to depart Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a European tour. Passengers seen at the airport in 2023. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The band had been preparing for an eight-date European tour in support of their latest album, “Holus Bolus,” with Norwegian band Orsak:Oslo, the Austin Chronicle reported. 

“No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band,” Orsak:Oslo wrote on social media Wednesday. “We won’t pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere.”