By Grace Cardinal, Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy Loffredo, ‘19, is confirmed to be back on the ground in the U.S. following his arrest in Israel on Oct. 9 and subsequent release on Oct. 11. Loffredo was held in Israeli custody pending investigation until Sunday, Oct. 20.
Loffredo was one of five journalists detained by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) this month for reporting on the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict. The charges brought against Loffredo included endangering national security and aiding and sharing information with the enemy.
Loffredo’s safety was confirmed by State Department spokesman Vendant Patel on Monday, Oct. 21.
“My understanding is that he has left Israel,” Patel said in a press briefing, as reported by northjersey.com. He gave no further information.
Loffredo’s return home was also confirmed by the editor-in-chief of his publication, The Grayzone, via X on Monday evening.
“American journalist @loffredojeremy is on his way home after being informally deported by the Israeli police,” Editor-in-Chief Max Blumenthal’s statement began. “Following an arbitrary arrest by the Israeli military at a West Bank checkpoint, Jeremy was blindfolded, shackled in a military truck, then held in solitary confinement for three days with little food or water.”
The statement continued, “We’re extremely grateful for the massive outpouring of support Jeremy received. The pressure generated by our colleagues, supporters and press freedom orgs played a pivotal role in ending his wrongful detention. Jeremy will provide a detailed account of the whole disturbing saga as soon as he returns to the US.”
Blumenthal’s post on X provided more insight into what occurred between Loffredo’s arrest, release from detainment and approval to return home, confirming that when he reached his Oct. 20 release date, Loffredo was ordered to book the first flight available from Israel to America.
Blumenthal also established in his statement that Loffredo was interrogated at Ben Gurion International Airport when he arrived for his flight, before he was allowed to officially board the plane and exit the country.
In the week between Loffredo’s arrest and official release from Israel, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called for the journalist be returned home.
Kennedy took to X on Thursday, Oct. 17, writing, “My commitment to Israel’s security and survival is absolute. So is my dedication to press freedom. That is why I am calling for the freedom of American journalist Jeremy Loffredo, who was detained while reporting in Israel. Having worked with Jeremy at Children’s Health Defense, I know him as a tenacious and professional young reporter. I urge the U.S. State Department to work for his immediate return home.”
NY State Assembly member Harvey Epstein also called on Israel to release his constituent Loffredo last Thursday, writing in a letter posted to X, “I recently became aware that my constituent, the journalist Jeremy Loffredo, has been detained in Israel as a result of his reporting on the ongoing conflicts in the region. This is a very concerning development. As a journalist, Mr. Loffredo has a professional duty to report newsworthy events, which is precisely what he was doing when he published his latest story.”
The letter concluded, “I respectfully urge that any barriers to his safe and expeditious return to the United State be immediately removed.”
As previously reported by The Quadrangle, Defending Rights & Dissent, the Courage Foundation and Freedom of the Press Foundation also wrote a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Oct. 11 asking them to advocate for Loffredo’s release.