By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
An Egyptian restaurant owner, arrested when his name turned up on a terrorist watch list, was released Tuesday after federal officials determined he had no ties to terrorism, his attorney said.
Basuyouy Mamdouh Ebaid, 44, was flying home to Hollywood, Florida, where his family had planned a party, his attorney, Ralph Kenol, said.
Ebaid was arrested in February after he allegedly sold liquor to minors. Police then ran his name through a computer database, which listed him as a possible terrorist because he was allegedly overheard praising al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and suicide bombers.
US Immigration Judge Kenneth S. Hurewitz ruled in September that Ebaid would not be deported because media reports about his case could get him tortured if he was sent back to Egypt.
Ebaid came to the United States 21 years ago on a student visa.
"Our next step is to work toward him getting permanent resident status based on his marriage to a US citizen," Kenol said.