California pastor detained in Iran after protest

A retired Southern California pastor with a history of overseas activism was detained in Iran after staging a protest outside a prison to demand the release of Iranian Christians held inside, his daughter and a fellow pastor said on Tuesday.

Pastor Eddie Romero crossed into Iran from Turkey Oct. 14 as part of a tourist group but Romero broke away from the group last Thursday and reappeared Monday at Evin Prison in Tehran, chanting “Let my people go,” his daughter, Sarah Yetter, said according to a report by Associated Press.

Romero broadcast about six minutes of his protest and eventual detention on the Internet using a smartphone hidden in his pocket.

He surrendered to guards who brought him inside the prison for questioning. His whereabouts were unknown on Tuesday.