What to know about Ayman Soliman, the detained Muslim chaplain whose supporters were arrested

More than a dozen people protesting the detainment of a Muslim chaplain were arrested Thursday night in Cincinnati.

Video from the demonstration shows some protesters blocking the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky, as well as one officer punching a protester while others wrestle him to the ground. At least 13 people were arrested, including two journalists.

The demonstrators were there to support Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who has worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and was detained last week during a check-in with immigration officials.

Here’s what to know about his case:

Who is Ayman Soliman?

Soliman, 51, served as an imam — a Muslim religious leader — in Egypt for 14 years before fleeing to the United States in 2014, according to the Initiative on Islam and Medicine, where he serves as a board member.

According to his lawyers, he was granted asylum in 2018 based on past persecution for his work as a journalist in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprising. His lawyers say he was jailed and tortured for reporting on the intense political conflict.

Soliman was hired as a prison chaplain in Oregon but soon lost that job after the FBI placed an unexplained “flag” on his background profile. In a case that is still pending, he sued to get more information about the flag and to clear his name.

In 2021, Soliman began working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where his lawyers say he was “beloved for his steady presence at the side of ill children, parents and other caregivers.”

He has a wife and child who remain in Egypt.

Why was he detained?

In late 2024, a U.S. asylum officer began proceedings to terminate Soliman’s asylum status, according to his legal team. The officer cited Soliman’s board membership of an organization called Al-Jameya al Shareya as “material support for terrorism” given the group’s links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The U.S. has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, though President Donald Trump considered it during his first term.

Soliman’s lawyers say the Al-Jameya al Shareya is not a terrorist group but rather a nongovernmental organization that provides medical and charitable community services. They accuse the government, which knew about the board membership when it granted asylum, of reversing course in retaliation against his lawsuit.

“After Mr. Soliman stood up for his rights in court, an individual officer decided to take the extreme, unusual and incorrect decision of terminating his lawful status,” they wrote in an update shared by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance on Wednesday.

“What’s more, Mr. Soliman’s need for asylum has not changed,” they said. “He faces death if forced to return to Egypt.”

Soliman’s asylum status was reversed in early June. He was detained on July 9 during a check-in with immigration officials and has been held at the Butler County Jail.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on Soliman’s case Friday. On the day of Soliman’s arrest, the agency’s assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote on X that “this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist.”

“He had his asylum status revoked by the (asterisk)checks notes(asterisk) BIDEN Administration,” she wrote.

What happens next?

A federal court has granted a temporary restraining order preventing Soliman from being moved out of Ohio before Wednesday, the date of his bond hearing. He also is due to make an initial appearance in immigration court Tuesday, but will participate via video feed from the jail.