Mosab Hassan Yousef, Hamas Founder's Son and Israeli Spy, Closer to US Asylum

(June 30) -- The son of a Hamas founder who became a spy for Israel is a step closer to gaining asylum in the U.S. after an immigration judge in San Diego today said he would not order him deported to the West Bank if he passes a background check.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, who spent a decade serving as a spy for Israel's Shin Bet security agency, helping target and kill militants with the Palestinian group Hamas, argued he would be killed if deported back to his homeland. The immigration judge, Rico Bartolomei, suggested he would reverse a February 2009 decision by the Department of Homeland Security to deport Yousef on the grounds that he was a danger to the U.S.

"During the hearing, Judge Bartolomei indicated that pending the background investigation not resulting in any flags, he would write a brief decision granting relief," Lauren Alder Reid, Justice Department counsel for legislative and public affairs, told AOL News.

Mosab Hassan Yousef is a step closer to gaining asylum in the U.S.

Bebeto Matthews, AP

Mosab Hassan Yousef, a spy for Israel and the son of a Hamas founder, may soon be granted asylum in the U.S. A judge said Wednesday that he would not deport Yousef to the West Bank if he passes a background check.

"There is no guarantee," she added, saying the judge will await word from the Department of Homeland Security investigation to determine whether asylum is appropriate.

Yousef, 32, was cheered by supporters after leaving the hearing.

"I will keep fighting the ideology that is behind terrorists because I know how they think," he said outside the courtroom, according to The Associated Press.

Earlier this year, Yousef, who converted to Christianity, published a memoir about his 10 years as an Israeli spy, claiming to have been one of Shin Bet's secret weapons.

"Yes, while working for Israeli intelligence, I posed as a terrorist," he wrote on his blog last month. "Yes, I carried a gun. Yes, I was in terrorist meetings with Yassir Arafat, my father and other Hamas leaders. It was part of my job."

Yousef has won support from members of Congress and other officials, including former CIA Director James Woolsey, who has called him a "remarkable young man" who deserves praise for his "extraordinary heroism and courage."