A Christian college has expelled a student after he was pictured equipped with guns and a Confederate flag alongside the Robert E Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, that was at the heart of white supremacist violence last week.

Self-described born-again Christian Allen Armentrout went viral after he was pictured in Confederate uniform, armed with a semi-automatic handgun and an AR-15 rifle alongside the statue. He had not attended the violent August 12 rally in Charlottesville but was visiting the statue days later. One widely shared image captured a woman swearing in his face.

He said his college, Pensacola Christian College in Florida, subsequently asked him to leave, he learned last Thursday.

'I have been released from my school and will be unable to return to college to finish my senior year. I'm processing this and making adjustments to my life to compensate for this scrutiny,' he told WX2 News.

'I'm a born-again Christian and I believe this wrench has hindered my attempt to serve the Lord,' Armentrout told Newsweek. 'I believe a Christian institution should support patriotic individuals who want to stand for American tradition and beliefs. It really hurts me a lot when you try to do what's right and you get attacked.'

He described Confederate General Robert E Lee as 'the greatest American that ever lived', but said Nazis and white-supremacists had misrepresented Confederate history.

He said he was now looking for a new place to study. Armentrout's college did not immiediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.