Can we question his patriotism now?

Arson. Clear and Simple. I hope the prosecutor presses serious charges.

Three Yale University students were arrested early Tuesday morning for burning an American flag on a pole attached to a house in New Haven, the Yale Daily News reported today.

The three men, all of foreign origin, were charged with offenses ranging from reckless endangerment to arson and were held in jail Tuesday night after a judge refused to release them without bail.

According to the newspaper, the New Haven police said the men — two freshmen and a senior — first attracted police attention at about 3 a.m. Tuesday when they asked two offcers for directions back to their residence. They were identified as Said Hyder Akbar, 23, Nikolaos Angelopoulos, 19, and Farhad Anklesaria, also 19.

The two officers returned to the neighborhood shortly afterward and found the flag burning in front of a house. One officer pulled down the flag to keep the fire from spreading and the other tracked down the three men. The police said the men admitted to starting the blaze, the newspaper reported.

Mr. Anklesaria was identified as a British subject and Mr. Angelopoulos as a citizen of Greece. Mr. Akbar was born in Pakistan and is a naturalized American citizen, the newspaper said.

Mr. Akbar is the author of a published memoir, “Come Back to Afghanistan,” describing his experiences over three summers spent observing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and acting as an informal translator for American forces there.

Can we now question Said Hyder Akbar's patriotism? Or his stupidity?