A week after Bondi
Antisemite Arrested for Making Threats on Flight to Sydney
A nineteen year-old Australian man was arrested upon landing after making antisemitic threats on a flight from Bali, Indonesia, to Sydney. The threats, both verbal and hand gestures, were directed at a passenger the antisemite knew to be Jewish, police say.
Australian Federal Police arrested a 19-year-old man on Wednesday after he allegedly threatened violence against a member of the Jewish community during a commercial flight from Bali, Indonesia, to Sydney.
According to the Australian Federal Police, the arrest followed a request for assistance from the airline, which alerted authorities to an onboard incident involving antisemitic threats. AFP officers were waiting at Sydney International Airport and took the suspect into custody immediately after the aircraft landed.
Police allege that during the flight the man made verbal threats and hand gestures indicating violence toward another passenger, whom he knew to be affiliated with the Jewish community. Investigators have described the incident as an antisemitic offense, noting that the alleged conduct specifically targeted the victim on the basis of their identity.
The suspect, a resident of the western Sydney suburb of Condell Park, has been charged with one count of threatening force or violence against members of a group or their associates, an offense under section 80.2BB(2) of Australia’s Criminal Code. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The man was refused bail and is scheduled to appear before the New South Wales Local Court. Police have not released further details about the nature of the threats, citing ongoing legal proceedings, but confirmed that the alleged victim was not physically harmed.
In a statement, federal police emphasized that incidents of hate-based threats are treated seriously, particularly when they occur in confined public spaces such as aircraft. Authorities also sought to reassure the public, stating that there are no current or impending threats to the wider community connected to this case.
The arrest comes amid heightened concern within Australia’s Jewish community following a series of antisemitic incidents in recent months, including threats, vandalism, and violent attacks. Law enforcement agencies across the country have increased monitoring of hate crimes and publicly urged airlines, venues, and members of the public to report threatening behavior as early as possible.
Federal police reiterated that threatening violence against individuals or groups based on religion or ethnicity is a criminal offense under Australian law, regardless of whether the threats are carried out. “There is zero tolerance for behavior that intimidates or endangers people because of who they are,” an AFP spokesperson said.
The case now moves to the courts, where prosecutors will seek to establish that the alleged threats constituted criminal intimidation motivated by antisemitism.