George Clooney, Father Arrested Outside Sudanese Embassy

Clooney, others demand immediate action to stop Sudan's use of food as a weapon.

George Clooney and his father were arrested Friday while protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC.

The Oscar-winner was seen in cuffs with his hands behind his back, being led away from the embassy at about 10:45 a.m and put into the back of a police car.

"I’m just trying to raise attention, because attention is the only way these things ever happen," Clooney said at the protest before his arrest. He called for Sudan to "stop randomly killing its own people."

"At the very least, [they need] some humanitarian aid," he said. "Let your senators, let your congressmen, let your president know."

The "Descendants" star and his father Nick were released later Friday afternoon. The Clooneys had joined a host of politicians and activists including Martin Luther King III and NAACP President Ben Jealous for the protest and were warned three times to leave. All 18 people taken into custody were charged with crossing with a police line.

The demonstrators were demanding immediate action to stop Sudan's blockage of food and other humanitarian aid to the border area with South Sudan before "it becomes the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,” Clooney's rep said in a statement.

Clooney has traveled to the region six times to bring attention to Darfur and Suday and testified  Congress earlier this week.

On his most recent trip, he and his film crew came under fire. He told the "Today" show's Ann Curry on Wednesday that the rockets overhead were "close enough to feel it." 

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