Police in Kent will question a man on Monday after an image of a burning poppy was posted on Facebook alongside an offensive comment.
The 19-year-old from Aylesham, near Canterbury, was detained on Sunday night on suspicion of making malicious telecommunications, Kent Police said.
Officers were contacted by a member of the public at around 4pm on Sunday and alerted to the picture on the social networking site "which was reportedly accompanied by an offensive comment", the force said in a statement.
The man was held under the Malicious Communications Act and will be interviewed later.
His arrest sparked numerous comments on Twitter, with people discussing its implications for civil liberties.
David Allen Green, a journalist and lawyer for the New Statesman magazine, tweeting as Jack of Kent at @DavidAllenGreen, wrote: "What was the point of winning either World War if, in 2012, someone can be casually arrested by Kent Police for burning a poppy?"
Data analyst Adrian Short, tweeting at @adrianshort, wrote: "Burning poppies is grossly offensive. It should be widely frowned upon, harshly condemned and absolutely legal."
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