Khizr Khan cancels Toronto talk amid alleged US review

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The father of a slain Muslim Army captain has had to cancel a planned talk in Toronto, Canada after being told "his travel privileges are being reviewed", the group hosting the event said Monday.

Khizr Khan was informed on Sunday of the review, Ramsay Talks said on its Facebook page. The group did not say who informed Khan, or what agency is conducting the assessment.

Also unclear are what "travel privileges" are being reviewed. Khan is a U.S. citizen, and would not normally need special authorization to travel abroad.

A State Department official told Anadolu Agency that any U.S. citizen with a valid passport is free to enter and depart the U.S.

"It is the decision of each individual country to determine whether to admit any U.S. citizen," the official said, declining to further comment due to privacy concerns.

Khan was scheduled to address a Ramsay Luncheon on Tuesday.

In a statement posted by the group, Khan said: "This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad.

"I have not been given any reason as to why," he said.

Khan, along with his wife, Ghazala, were prominent critics of President Donald Trump during his presidential campaign. Khan famously held up a copy of the U.S. constitution during the Democratic convention, offering it to Trump for reference amid his heated campaign rhetoric that often singled out minorities, including Muslims.

His son, Humayun Khan, died in Iraq in 2004. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.