ACLU: Arrest Of Man Accused Of Burning American Flag 'Unconstitutional'

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana says a man has been unconstitutionally arrested in Lafayette on a charge of desecrating the American flag by setting one afire and tearing up another.

Online jail records indicate that 57-year-old Charri Mohamad was held Sunday on charges of flag desecration and entering or refusing to leave a place where he'd been forbidden.

KLFY-TV reports that police arrested him Thursday after a complaint that surveillance video showed him setting an American flag on fire days earlier.

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The ACLU says Louisiana's flag desecration law was among dozens overturned by a 1990 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Lafayette police didn't respond immediately to an email Sunday requesting comment.

It wasn't clear whether Mohamad has an attorney. The ACLU's news release responded to news reports.

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