Grammy award winning rapper Kendrick Lamar headlines the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb, 9, 2025. On Thursday, police said they arrested a backup dancer who had brandished a protest flag during the performance. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Authorities in Louisiana have arrested and charged a 41-year-old man on accusations of creating a disturbance during the Super Bowl halftime show by holding up a protest flag.
The suspect, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu of New Orleans, surrendered himself through coordination with his attorney on Thursday and was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace of a lawful assembly.
An average of 133.5 million people tuned in Feb. 9, to watch rapper Kendrick Lamar perform during the Super Bowl halftime show at Caesars Superdome, making it reportedly the most watched halftime performance in its history.
During the performance, one of the dozens of backup dancers was seen standing on a prop car on stage brandishing a Sudanese flag emblazoned with the words “Sudan and Free Gaza.”
Video of the incident posted online shows that when confronted during the performance, seemingly by security, the suspect fled onto the field, where he was eventually tackled to the ground and apprehended
Louisiana State Police said in a statement Thursday that its investigation confirmed that the performer had “deviated from his assigned role” by brandishing the flag and “disrupted the halftime show by running across the field.”
Law enforcement identified the performer as Nantambu and confirmed he had been hired to perform during the show.
“Troopers learned that Nantambu had permission to be on the field during the performance, but did not have permission to demonstrate as he did,” it said.
He was arrested under a warrant obtained through the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
