Bond denied for foreign student held on weapons charge

BLACKSBURG, Va. – A judge has ordered a former Virginia Tech student arrested on a weapons charge to remain jailed while he awaits trial.

The Roanoke Times reports the judge said at a bail hearing Thursday that he was concerned 19-year-old Yunsong Zhao would be deported to China if he were freed on bond. Immigration authorities have lodged a detainer on Zhao because his student visa is no longer valid due to his expulsion.

Zhao’s arrest created alarm on the Blacksburg campus, the site of a mass shooting in 2007.

The school says authorities did not view Zhao as a threat.

Authorities say Zhao illegally attached a 30-round magazine to a rifle. Zhao’s lawyer says that’s untrue and Zhao actually had a legal, 20-round magazine.

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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com