A 19-year-old man from Sydney’s inner west is set to face the NSW Bail Division Local Court today after being charged over an alleged online threat directed at a foreign head of state.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) launched an investigation in January 2026 after receiving a report about a threatening post made on a social media platform. The individual targeted is classified as a foreign head of state and an internationally protected person.

Investigators from the AFP’s National Security Investigations (NSI) team allegedly identified the Newtown resident as the person responsible for the post.

With assistance from the NSW Police Security Investigations Unit, officers executed a search warrant at a Newtown home on Tuesday, 4 February. Police seized several items, including a mobile phone and drug paraphernalia.

The man has been charged with one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill, an offence under section 474.15(1) of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. He was refused police bail.

If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The AFP said the matter falls under the remit of its National Security Investigations teams, which were established in October 2025 to focus on individuals and groups posing serious risks to Australia’s social cohesion, including threats directed at vulnerable communities such as the Jewish community.

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