Official: Islamic Cleric Who Made Anti-Gay Comments Leaves Australia Following Controversy

CANBERRA, Australia (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An official says an Islamic cleric has left Australia after comments he made against homosexuality sparked a government review of his visa.

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday that British cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar had decided to leave Sydney Airport late Tuesday before his visa was cancelled.

Sekaleshfar came under investigation over a newspaper report on Tuesday of comments he made about homosexuality during a lecture at the University of Michigan in 2013.

The Australian newspaper reported Sekaleshfar said: "Death is the sentence'' for gay sex acts in public.

Sekaleshfar told Australian Broadcasting Corp. his comments had been taken out of context.

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