Egyptian teen seeks asylum in U.S.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Abdullah Assem, 18, has been living in California since May. The high school student, who was 17 when he arrived, traveled to Los Angeles from his home in Cairo, Egypt to attend a science and engineering fair.

He never went back.

"I decided to stay here to protect my life, because they are trying to arrest me for false charge," Assem said.

Assem says he was arrested in April in Egypt and accused of a number of crimes after he posted messages on social media criticizing his country's government for its violent treatment of protesters during recent uprisings.

"I was blindfolded and was handcuffed and these things and I stayed in jail for nine days," Assem said.

Assem says he's innocent.

He believes he was released because of publicity surrounding his arrest, which came right before his trip to the U.S. to showcase the eye tracking device he invented to help quadriplegics.

Assem has applied for asylum in the U.S. and was recently interviewed by immigration authorities.

"He definitely fears that he would be arrested and mistreated, prosecuted. There are many, many political prisoners," immigration attorney Valerie Curtis Diop said.

If he's allowed to stay in this country, Assem hopes to enroll in college and study technology and web development.