Kony 2012 director arrested for alleged lewd act

The co-founder of Invisible Children and the director of the "Kony 2012" video that went viral last week has been detained for being drunk in public and a lewd act, according to US media reports.

Jason Russell, 33, was allegedly found masturbating in public, vandalising cars and possibly under the influence, according to NBCSanDiego's website.

It reports San Diego Police as saying they received several calls on Thursday reporting a man in various stages of undress, running through traffic and screaming.

Celebrity website TMZ, says sources have told them Russell was dancing wearing "speedo-like underwear" and eventually removed the underwear and began to make sexual gestures.

Russell is said to have been subsequently arrested and taken to hospital.

NBC quote Lieutenant Andra Brown from San Diego police department as saying:

The Chief Executive Officer of Invisible Children, Ben Kessey, has released a statement.

Invisible Children were responsible for the 30-minute "Kony 2012" video that calls for the capture of Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

Kony is accused of terrorising Uganda's northern region for two decades and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

The video has been viewed by ten of millions of people and it has been endorsed by the likes of Justin Bieber, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey.