US man charged over damage to Satanic Temple display in Iowa

A political candidate from Mississippi has been arrested after a controversial Satanic Temple display inside the Iowa Capitol was partially destroyed.

Michael Cassidy, 35, is a former US Navy pilot who recently lost a race for the Mississippi state legislature.

Mr Cassidy has been charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a $2,560 (£1,996) fine.

The display was allowed in Iowa's state house under rules that permit religious installations. It has been criticised by many conservatives, including Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

The display featured a depiction of a goat's head known as a Baphomet statue and a wreath adorned with a pentagram.

An appeal for legal funds posted by Mr Cassidy online had raised more than $40,000 by Friday evening.

On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "My deepest hope is that Americans of all political persuasions can unite and agree that: 1. Jesus Christ is Lord 2. Satan is evil."

Mr Cassidy lost an election for the Mississippi state legislature last month. In 2022 he lost in a Republican primary for US Congress.

The Satanic Temple, founded in 2013, is recognised as a religion by the US government, and has ministers and congregations in America, Europe and Australia.

It concentrates its efforts on social action and describes itself as a "non-theistic religious organisation".

The mission statement on the group's website says it "has publicly confronted hate groups, fought for the abolition of corporal punishment in public schools, applied for equal representation when religious installations are placed on public property" and other activist work.

Its leader, Lucien Greaves, called the damage to the display "cowardice" in a statement to the BBC.

It is "sad and frightening" to see some "abandon" ideals of free expression and religious liberty "when only merely faced with benign imagery from a viewpoint that they assume they disagree with", he added.

The display has been damaged beyond repair, the Satanic Temple has said.

The group recently set up an after-school club in a school district in Tennessee, a move also criticised by religious conservatives.