The State Department designated Ibrahim Charara, Lebanon’s consul general in Detroit, persona non grata and asked him to leave after reviewing his online activity, the department said.
A representative said the department reviews information on foreign mission members authorized to work in the United States and may respond under U.S. law and international obligations. The representative also said the United States would not accept people who celebrate or defend terrorist attacks.
The National reported that media outlets linked Charara to social media posts from 2021 that appeared to praise the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. The attack killed 241 U.S. service members and 58 French troops, The National reported.
The representative also brought up two attacks on U.S. embassy compounds in Beirut, one in 1983 and another in 1984. Those blasts killed about 60 workers and Lebanese civilians, The National reported.
The National said it had sought a response from Lebanon’s consulate in Michigan but had not received one.
