Journalist Don Lemon was taken into custody Thursday night in connection with a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to his attorney.

Lemon was among dozens of anti-immigrant and Customs Enforcement protesters who stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., earlier this month, disrupting church services and leading to tense confrontations.

Court records regarding his arrest were not immediately available. Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday. Lemon was in Los Angeles to cover the Grammy Awards and was arrested in the lobby of a Beverly Hills hotel shortly after 11pm local time on his way to the event.

“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards,” attorney Abby Lowell said in a statement early Friday morning. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis is no different from anything he’s ever done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists in their role in highlighting the truth and holding those in power accountable.”

“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful protesters in Minnesota, the Trump Justice Department is dedicating its time, attention and resources to this arrest, which is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,” Rowell added. “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and blatant attempts to distract from the many crises facing this administration cannot stand. Don will vigorously and thoroughly contest these charges in court.”

Lemon, a former CNN anchor, said he was attending the demonstrations as a journalist, not as a protester. In a video of the episode posted to YouTube, Lemon says, “I’m just here taking pictures, I’m not part of the group…I’m a journalist.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday Along with Lemon, additional arrests, including Traherne Jean Crews and Jamael Rydell Lundy, were also “in connection with the coordinated attack on the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” she said.

Georgia Fort, an independent journalist who was filming the protests, was also detained.

“This all stems from the fact that I was a member of the media filming a protest,” Fort said on Facebook Live this morning before surrendering to agents.

“We’re supposed to have constitutional rights to freedom of photography and freedom of the press,” Fort said. “I don’t think I have a proper understanding of the First Amendment as a journalist because federal agents are arresting me for filming a church protest a few weeks ago.”

The Justice Department sought to indict eight people, including Lemon, for the first time last week. A magistrate dismissed the charges against five people, including Mr. Lemon, saying there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. However, the judge encouraged prosecutors to take the case to a grand jury for investigation and prosecution.

Although not unprecedented, it is highly unusual for the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against a reporter. These cases are heavily scrutinized before a charging decision is made, and often face lengthy legal battles over whether reporters are protected by the First Amendment before reaching trial.

Still, senior Justice Department officials quickly asserted publicly that Lemon would face charges after the incident at the Minnesota church. Lemon had no right to be on the church’s private property, they said, adding that by interrupting church services, he may have interfered with churchgoers’ constitutional right to express their religion.

Press freedom groups condemned the arrests on Friday.

“These arrests, clearly based on bogus legal theories against constitutionally protected reporting, are a clear warning to other journalists,” said Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Press Freedom Foundation. “It sends an unmistakable message that journalists must tread carefully, as the government explores all possible ways to target journalists.”

“The answer to this outrageous attack is not fear or self-censorship; it is a stronger commitment to journalism, truth, and the First Amendment. If the Trump administration thinks it can bully journalists into submission, it is mistaken,” Stern told CNN.

Katherine Jacobsen, U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Lemon’s arrest “should alarm all Americans.”

“As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is an indicator of the state of democracy in a country. The US response has been poor,” Jacobsen said.

Lisa Gilbert, co-director of the nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen, called the lawsuit against Lemon an “authoritarian violation” and “a flagrant violation of the First Amendment.”

“American reporters are free to view, record and share information with the public,” Gilbert said. “This arrest is unconstitutional, an outrageous act, an authoritarian violation, and completely astonishing.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.