Overview

• Metropolitan Police detained the 57-year-old comedy writer at Heathrow on 1 September over three April posts on X that officers say may have incited violence.
• Police said a man in his 50s was taken to hospital after the arrest for checks and later released on bail with conditions that restrict his use of certain social media.
• Linehan has publicized the posts at issue, including a line about confronting a man in a women-only space and, if other measures fail, to “punch him in the balls,” which he now frames as a serious point delivered as a joke.
• He says he does not regret his posts and plans to sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment as the investigation continues.
• Separately, he faces harassment and criminal-damage charges linked to an October 2024 incident, with proceedings adjourned to 29 October, while his arrest has fueled wider calls—from commentators and police leaders—for a clearer legal test, such as a Brandenburg-style standard, to govern speech-related offenses.