Israeli police investigate after officers 'cut Palestinian flag' from skullcap

The British Israeli man says he was detained after someone took offence at his kippah embroidered with Israeli and Palestinian flags.

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Alex Sinclair, 53, said he was taken from the cafe where he was sitting near his home in Modiin, central Israel, on Monday, ordered to hand over his kippah and locked in a cell.

He said when the item was returned to him, the part with the Palestinian flag had been cut off.

The unusual case has gained domestic and international attention after Sinclair shared the details in a social media post. Police told the BBC a complaint has been filed with their internal investigations division.

Sinclair, who is also a novelist, was working on his laptop in the cafe when, he said, "a religious man came over to me with an angry face and shouted at me that my kippah is against the law".