Australian MMA head coach handcuffed, jailed in US

By Anadolu staff

The head coach of the Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) team said he was handcuffed and jailed by US immigration officials for a visa "mistake."

Renato Subotic was stopped, and detained at the US border on his way to coach a seminar, and later sent to a federal prison where he spent 24 hours.

Describing the ordeal as "chaos," Subotic said in an Instagram post: "I arrived in America excited, ready to coach my seminar. It was supposed to be a great trip. But I was detained by local officials, handcuffed, and taken to a federal prison."

He did not mention at which part of US border he was detained, and how did he secure his release.

Subotic said he was stopped by officials who took him to a private room and interviewed him for three hours.

"They told me there was a mistake with my visa and that they were taking me to jail 'until they figure our what's next.'"

After being stripped, searched and fingerprinted, Subotic said he was driven to a federal prison. "No clear explanation, no chance to talk to anyone, no rights."

Subotic said he is now back in Australia and would be speaking with his lawyers.

"Something has to be done about the way I was treated," he said. "I hope this never [happens] to nobody else."

It comes amid a radical immigration crackdown launched by the President Donald Trump's administration and the toughening of US border rules.