A top security aide for President Emmanuel Macron, caught on camera beating a protester, has been detained and is being questioned by authorities.

A judicial official said Friday that Alexandre Benalla is being questioned on an array of counts ahead of potential charges. Among the counts is violence committed in a group by a person with a public service mission. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

French media reports, meanwhile, indicate that the process to fire Benalla from his job has begun.

Macron was slammed a day earlier for keeping Benalla on the job, including his use of an office at the presidential palace, two-and-a-half months after the May incident.