Think tank claims 72 terrorists convicted in US were from countries on Trump's travel ban list

A right-wing think tank has claimed 72 of 580 people convicted of terror offences in the US since 9/11 had come from countries on US President Donald Trump's travel ban list.

The Center for Immigration Studies said it obtained information from a Senate hearing that showed 72 people found guilty of such offences were from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen.

A 2016 report from the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest named 580 individuals who had been convicted of terror offences in the US, with just 72 from the countries Trump had on his travel ban list according to information from the subcommittee.

Of the 72 people, 20 were from Somalia, 19 from Iraq, 19 from Yemen, seven from Syria, four from Iran and two from Libya, with the majority living in New York, California, Michigan, and Minnesota, the think tank alleged, with only 33 of those people convicted of more serious terror offences.

The president's travel ban prompted criticism, with one of the key complaints being the lack of terrorists to have emerged from the seven majority-Muslim countries named in the ban – with many more having come from other countries including Saudi Arabia, whose citizens escaped Trump's intended ban.

In a 9th appeals court hearing, the three judges said the government had not offered "any evidence" of national security concerns that would make the proposed travel ban necessary. Trump has promised to fight the ban and tweeted, "See you in court. The security of our nation is at stake", after the appeals court refused to reinstate it.

Among options Trump is said to be considering to challenge the court's decision are the possibility of a Supreme Court battle, and re-writing the executive order.