UPDATE 2-Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested after church protest in Minnesota

Former CNN anchor ‌Don Lemon has been arrested for his involvement in a protest at a church, his lawyer and a Justice Department official familiar with the ⁠situation said on Friday. Lemon is charged with ​conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the FACE Act by ‍allegedly obstructing access to a house of worship, according to a Justice Department official.

Former CNN anchor ‌Don Lemon has been arrested for his involvement in a protest at a church, his lawyer and a Justice Department official familiar with the ⁠situation said on Friday. Lemon livestreamed a demonstration earlier this month that interrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, protesting President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the area. Lemon is charged with ​conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the FACE Act by ‍allegedly obstructing access to a house of worship, according to a Justice Department official. FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested him in Los Angeles, the source said. Lemon's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, called his arrest an "unprecedented attack on ⁠the ‌First Amendment."

Lemon said he ⁠was at the demonstration as a journalist. He said he was tipped off ahead of time but did ‍not know the activists would disrupt the service. He can be seen arguing with a parishioner about ​immigration enforcement. Trump administration officials quickly condemned the demonstration and accused protesters of intimidating Christian worshippers. Federal ⁠agents arrested three other people and charged them with violating the FACE Act, a 1994 law that prevents obstructing abortion ⁠clinics and places of worship, but a U.S. judge earlier this month declined to approve Lemon's arrest, citing a lack of evidence. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests ⁠for comment. Lemon spent 17 years at CNN, becoming one of its most recognizable personalities. CNN fired ⁠him in 2023 after ‌he made on-air comments about women and then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley that were widely perceived as sexist. Lemon later apologized.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)