A North Miami Beach, FL., police officer was arrested during an Obamacare protest for allegedly refusing to neither divulge his identity to officers nor remove his Guy Fawkes mask. The mask is the depiction of its namesake, who was member of the Gun Powder Plot, an incident in which members attempted to blow up the House of Lords in London, UK, in 1605. It is more recently known as the universal face of the hacktivist group Anonymous.

The Sun-Sentinel reports, Ericson Harrell, 39, told police he was protesting Obamacare, but still he "was asked several times to remove his mask and produce some form of identification or tell us his name," according to the incident report. "He refused each time."

According to the police report Harrell continued "stating his anonymity was his cause, thus the mask. ... He stated the mask was used by movement groups around the world for protest."

After police found a .40 caliber pistol in his waistband, Harrell then identified himself as an off-duty police officer.

The charges against Harrell include obstruction of traffic, and wearing a hood or mask on a street.

Harrell, a 15-year veteran of the department, has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation, North Miami Beach Police Sgt. Mohammad Asim said Friday.