WASHINGTON, Jan 21: A Pakistani physician accused of having ties to terrorism by the US Department of Homeland Security chose to return home rather than face indefinite detention in the US and likely deportation.

Dr Nadeem Hassan caught a flight to the Middle East earlier this week on his way to Pakistan. The Phoenix physician was in Saudi Arabia for Haj last week when immigration authorities rejected his green-card application and revoked his US travel permit, in part because of his association with the Tablighi Jamaat.

The 41-year-old immigrant arrived in New York on Wednesday hoping to re-enter the country so he could challenge that decision, but was held by authorities at John F. Kennedy Airport.

Dr Hassan’s father, Zaheer Hasnain, said Mr Hassan later boarded a flight for Dubai.