Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski was immediately arrested Monday after his plane landed in Calgary for violating COVID orders.
Pawlowski was arriving back home after a 4-month tour across the U.S. warning about religious persecution from socialist leaders.
Canada Border Services Agency officials forced him to get on his knees on the tarmac and handcuffed him, CTV News reports. His family and friends awaiting him were left in the dark.
Sarah Miller, Pawlowski’s lawyer, told the Canadian outlet he was arrested at the airport on an outstanding criminal contempt of court charge and released after a bail hearing Monday night.
The pastor and his brother were arrested earlier this year for holding “illegal” church services.
“It is important to understand that law enforcement recognizes people’s desire to participate in faith-based gatherings as well as the right to protest. However, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing,” the police service said at the time.
