The Columbia University student facing deportation from the US over allegations he “led activities aligned with Hamas” held a senior position at the British embassy in Beirut, The Telegraph understands.

Mahmoud Khalil, who spearheaded pro-Palestine protests on the prestigious Ivy League campus, worked as a Program Manager at Britain’s Syria Office for more than four years.

He also led the Syria Chevening Program, the UK government’s prestigious international scheme that offers fully funded scholarships to people “who show potential to inspire”, The Telegraph can disclose.

Under the programme, individuals can apply to study in Britain for one year on a fully funded master’s degree course. After completing their period of study in the UK, scholars and fellows return home.

Mr Khalil, who the US was previously investigating as a possible national security threat, also managed taxpayer-funded projects “with a focus on accountability, justice, and gender equality in Syria”, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The discovery comes after Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, claimed Mr Khalil had distributed leaflets on campus bearing the Hamas logo.

“Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities and colleges, and he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege by siding with terrorists, Hamas, terrorists who have killed innocent men, women and children,” she said.

“This is an individual who organised group protests that not only disrupted college campus classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda flyers with the logo of Hamas.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period.”