French Comic Dieudonne Detained For Defending Terrorism

People queue up to buy the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo newspaper at a newsstand in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. In an emotional act of defiance, Charlie Hebdo resurrected its irreverent and often provocative newspaper, featuring a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover that drew immediate criticism and threats of more violence.

PARIS (AP) — French comic Dieudonne has been detained for defending terrorism after posting comments on Facebook — since deleted — that seemed to support the attackers who left 17 dead in the Paris region.

Dieudonne, who popularized an arm gesture that resembles a Nazi salute and who has been convicted repeatedly of racism and anti-Semitism, was in detention Wednesday. His provocative performances were banned last year but he has a core following among many of France's disaffected young people.

France's government is preparing new anti-terrorism measures and says it want to crack down on anyone who defends terrorism. On Monday, a man who praised the attackers in a drunken rant while resisting arrest was sentenced to four years in prison