A 58-year-old British tourist who reportedly spat on a Turkish flag at a resort hotel was formally arrested at court.

The alleged incident occurred in Turkey's tourism capital of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. The suspect, identified by local law enforcement as Stephen Kerr, was detained by security officers in Alanya, Antalya province. He is said to have got into an argument with staff in the lobby of the hotel he was staying at in Dinek neighborhood. The precise reason for the dispute was unknown, local reports said.

According to reports confirmed by local police, the escalation of the dispute culminated in Kerr disrespecting a Turkish flag displayed in the lobby. Hotel staff detained him on site until officers from Alanya police station arrived.

After he was questioned with the participation of an interpreter at the local police headquarters, Kerr was taken to Alanya courthouse.

A sitting of Alanya criminal court (sulh ceza) ordered his official pre-trial arrest at an Alanya closed prison on charges of "insulting symbols of Turkish state sovereignty". The crime falls under Article 300 of the Turkish Penal Code.

Under Turkish law, the desecration of, or public disrespect shown toward, the national flag carries a potential prison sentence of one to three years.