A man from Sydney has been formally charged after allegedly making death threats against the Prime Minister on social media. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced that their investigation began in March, following threats directed at a Member of Parliament in the lead-up to the May federal election.
Detectives linked a social media account to 36-year-old Alexander Phillip David Keating of Kingswood in Western Sydney. The AFP executed a search warrant at his residence and seized several electronic devices as part of their investigation.
Keating has been charged with one count of threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official. The charge carries a maximum penalty of nine years’ imprisonment. Court documents allege that police evidence shows Mr. Keating made threats between February 20 and March 3, explicitly threatening to murder Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In response, Prime Minister Albanese declined to reveal specific details of the threats, only confirming that he was the MP involved. “I don’t comment on national security issues and on those issues, whether it involves someone else or whether it involves me directly,” he stated.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over the safety of public officials and the rise of threatening behavior on social media platforms.
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