A woman has been arrested after an Australian flag was set on fire in the war memorial in Sydney's Hyde Park.
Police arrested the 36-year-old woman at Central Station in the early hours of Thursday morning after receiving a call from a member of the public who said they recognised her from CCTV footage released by police on Wednesday afternoon.
Police allege the woman stepped into a roped-off room inside the Anzac Memorial at Hyde Park about 12.40pm on Wednesday and lowered the flag into the flame of remembrance.
The flag caught fire, and memorial staff extinguished the small blaze.
Security footage showed a woman of Caucasian appearance, thought to be aged between 35 and 45, with fair, shoulder-length hair. The woman was wearing black shoes and a short black and white dress with black sleeves.
Police released CCTV images of the woman on Wednesday afternoon in a bid to track her down.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said a member of the public called police at 2.20am on Thursday to report that a woman matching the suspect's description was at Central Station.
The woman was arrested and taken to Sydney City police station, before she was then taken to St Vincent's Hospital, where she was undergoing a mental health assessment, police said.
Flag burning or desecration is not illegal in Australia. Bills aimed at making flag burning illegal, introduced in 2003 and 2008, have failed to pass the Senate.
The company responsible for security at the war memorial, Red Dawn, declined to comment.
It describes the memorial as "a prestigious monument of significant historical interest" on its website.
"We are proud to be the provider of choice for such an iconic memorial."
Built in 1934, the memorial is the largest of its kind in Sydney and hosts ceremonies on Anzac and Armistice day.
With Eryk Bagshaw, Melanie Kembrey
