Pantagraph.com quoted ISU spokesman Jay Groves as saying the decision to expel Rithichai "Toro" Yibcharoenporn, 31, came on the heels of his previous complaints about ISU staff and from a string of formal complaints dating back six months as well as his failure to make academic progress.

Groves said, "The timing is coincidental, because he had this record of trouble before that, and he wasn't doing anything to answer to those student code of conduct problems.

"Even if the Virginia Tech incident had not happened, his problems were enough to generate his removal."

But action against the international student arrived swiftly after the gun comment, said Pantagraph.

Police say ISU staff was leery of Rithichai's April 19 inquiries about his constitutional rights to buy a gun because the comments were made during a required writing exam and because of his previous claims of having been treated unfairly at ISU.

Masscacre at Virginia Technology University where 31 people were gunned down took place on April 16. 

On Apirl 23, the ISU administration changed the student's status to "involuntary withdrawal" - an immediate dismissal without disciplinary panel review.

And within hours of that April 23 status change, ISU police assisted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in taking the student into custody at the campus' Bone Student Center.

ISU Police also issued the student an order that forbids him from returning to the Normal campus.

A doctoral student in ISU's English program, Rithicha had a history of confrontations with ISU faculty and staff. Reports with the ISU Police Department were filed in October, November, January, March and April.

The reports focus on his arguments over exam questions, grades, his student insurance policy, student employment in the campus dining services and his later dismissal from that job.

However no criminal charges were filed, said Capt. Don Knapp of the ISU Police Department.

Illinois State University