The US military has confirmed that Marines detained a civilian in Los Angeles, marking the first known instance of such action. The confirmation came after Reuters images showed armed Marines detaining a man.

The detention took place at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles where Marines took charge of the mission to protect the building earlier on Friday, in a rare domestic use of US troops after days of protests over immigration raids.

US Marines were deployed to Los Angeles on Friday, the military said, in a rare domestic use of its forces after days of protests over immigration raids and as nationwide demonstrations were expected on Saturday, in the biggest backlash since President Donald Trump returned to power.

About 200 Marines will protect a federal building in Los Angeles, Army Major General Scott Sherman said on Friday. The administration has authorized a total of 700 Marines to be deployed in the city. Neither the Marines nor National Guard troops in the city have temporarily detained anyone, he added.

“I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities,” he said during a briefing.