The arrest of Graham Linehan, the creator of Father Ted, was a departure from democracy, Donald Trump’s state department has said.

The Irish TV comedy writer was detained by five armed police officers at Heathrow airport on Monday after mocking trans people in three social media posts.

The Met Police said a man was detained after arriving on a flight from the United States on suspicion of “inciting violence in relation to posts on X”.

Curbs on free speech in Europe and the UK are “overly broad and restrict expression”, the US state department said following Linehan’s arrest.

The 57-year-old, an outspoken critic of transgender ideology, said he was treated “like a terrorist” and locked up for 12 hours.

The case marks the latest example of police investigating questionable online remarks, potentially at the cost of focusing on more serious crimes.