SYDNEY: 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 last month on a social media platform “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 officially name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reported they were directed at Herzog, according to the Reuters.
The Sydney Morning Herald also reported the teenager allegedly made threats against U.S. President Donald Trump. He was refused police bail and is scheduled to appear in a Sydney court on Thursday.
Authorities said a mobile phone and equipment for making or using drugs were seized during a search at his Sydney home 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 families of the 15 victims killed at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on December 14.
Herzog’s visit has prompted opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities. Police in New South Wales, home to Sydney, on Tuesday extended restrictions on protests in parts of the city ahead of Herzog’s arrival, citing “significant animosity” from some groups.
The Palestine Action Group has urged supporters to attend a rally in Sydney on Monday, encouraging a march to the New South Wales state parliament in what it describes as a “mass, peaceful gathering.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive the standard security arrangements provided to all visiting foreign leaders.
