A British politician was arrested after allegedly posting a message on Twitter that called for a Muslim journalist to be stoned to death, the Associated Press is reporting.
Birmingham City Councilor Gareth Compton took to his Twitter page to vent frustrations about Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a liberal columnist for The Independent, who made a radio appearance Wednesday discussing human rights in China.
According to the BBC, Compton's subsequent post in light of the broadcast read, "Can someone please stone Yasmin Alibhai-Brown to death? I shan't tell Amnesty if you don't. It would be a blessing, really."
The post was removed from the site, and Compton reportedly took to his account once again to apologize. "I made an ill-conceived attempt at humor in response to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on Radio 5," he wrote. "I [apologize] for any offense caused, it was wholly unintentional."
Speaking to the BBC, Alibhai-Brown called Compton's actions "loathsome," and noted his "flippant apology" would not be enough. "If I, as a Muslim woman, had said about him what he said about me then I would be arrested in these times of the war against terror," she said. Though Compton has since been released on bail, spokesmen for the Conservative Party say the councilor's membership has been suspended indefinitely pending further investigation.