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Thursday, February 5, 2026
Australian teen indicted for making death threats against Herzog ahead of upcoming visit
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An Australian teenager has been charged for allegedly making online death threats against 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 “toward a foreign head of state and internationally protected person,” the Australian Federal Police says in a statement.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Police don’t name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reports they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also reports the teenager allegedly made threats against US President Donald Trump.
He was refused police bail and will appear before a court in Sydney on Thursday. Police say 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.
The Times of Israel Community.