A Rwandan professor who faces charges of genocide in his home country has been arrested by U.S. immigration officials, who accuse him of being in the United States illegally, the Associated Press reported.

Leopold Munyakazi, a visiting professor of French, was removed from his teaching duties at Goucher College, north of Baltimore, in December pending investigations into accusations that he was involved in the 1994 massacres in Rwanda. He denies those charges.

Mr. Munyakazi was teaching at Goucher through the Scholar Rescue Fund. The president of the Institute of International Education, which runs the fund, has said its investigation has not been able to determine the veracity of the accusations against the professor.

Mr. Munyakazi has been released from custody, but immigration officials told the AP they were taking steps to deport him. —Karin Fischer