An Australian man has been charged after allegedly spitting into the face of an imam at an Indonesian mosque on Friday. Brenton Craig Abbas Abdullah McArthur could face up to 14 months in prison if convicted of the alleged assault at a mosque in Bandung, which was captured on CCTV.
Per the ABC, the footage shows McArthur entering the Jami-al Muhajir mosque about 6am and approaching Imam M Basri Anwar at the pulpit. He then appeared to spit into his face before casually walking away.
McArthur was staying at a hotel close to the mosque and was reportedly annoyed by the recitation of the Quran over the loudspeaker, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Truly disgusting and disrespectful stuff.
As reported by SBS, Indonesian police said they tracked McArthur via his passport to Soekarno-Hatta airport where he was about to board a flight home to Australia and arrested him.
“We immediately ask[ed] immigration to stop him and cancel him from leaving the country,” Bandung police chief Budi Sartono said.
“We immediately pick[ed] him up at the airport and [took] him to the Bandung Police Station for interrogation.”
Per SBS, Indonesian news website Kumparan said McArthur was charged with Articles 335 and 315 of the Criminal Code, which regulate unpleasant acts and insults.
McArthur shared a video to Instagram claiming he was a victim of racism, which is pretty damn rich considering he allegedly spat into the face of an imam in a mosque. It’s an absolutely reprehensible and vile act — don’t try pulling the victim card.
The arrest comes after 23-year-old Noosa man Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones allegedly went on a drunken, naked rampage in Simeulue, an island in the Aceh province of Indonesia. He faces up to five years in prison.
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