SYDNEY, Feb 5 (Reuters) – An Australian teenager has been charged for allegedly making online death threats against Israeli President Isaac Herzog, ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia.
The 19-year-old man allegedly made the threats on a social media platform last month “towards a foreign head of state and internationally protected person”, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Police did not name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reported they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also reported the teenager allegedly made threats against U.S. President Donald Trump.
He was refused police bail and will appear before a court in Sydney on Thursday. Police said a mobile phone and equipment for making or using drugs were seized during a search at a home in Sydney on Wednesday.
President Herzog is due to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit, following an invitation by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in December.
He is expected to meet survivors and the families of the victims of the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14 at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, which killed 15 people.
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities.
Police in the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, on Tuesday extended restrictions on protests in parts of the city ahead of Herzog’s visit, citing “significant animosity” from some groups.
The Palestine Action Group has called on supporters to attend a rally in Sydney on Monday, urging people to march to the New South Wales state parliament in what is described as a “mass, peaceful gathering.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive standard security arrangements given to all visiting foreign leaders.
“He will be a welcomed and honoured guest,” Marles told ABC News on Thursday.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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