Australian police have charged a 19-year-old man for allegedly making online death threats against President Isaac Herzog ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia.
The Australian Federal Police said the teenager was charged over alleged threats made last month on a social media platform “towards a foreign head of state and internationally protected person.” The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Police did not publicly identify the target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reported they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald also reported the teenager allegedly made threats against U.S. President Donald Trump.
The suspect was refused police bail and is scheduled to appear before a Sydney court on Thursday. Police said officers seized a mobile phone and drug-related equipment during a search of a Sydney home on Wednesday.
President Herzog is due to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit, following an invitation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after a deadly shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December.
During the visit, Herzog is expected to meet survivors and families of victims of the December 14 attack at a Jewish Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach, in which 15 people were killed.
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestinian groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities. Police in New South Wales, which includes Sydney, this week extended restrictions on demonstrations in parts of the city, citing “significant animosity” from some groups.
The Palestine Action Group has called on supporters to attend a rally in Sydney on Monday, urging participants to march to the New South Wales state parliament in what it described as a “mass, peaceful gathering.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive the same level of security afforded to all visiting foreign leaders.
“He will be a welcomed and honored guest,” Marles told ABC News.