Bomb planted on car in Sydney for raising Palestinian flag
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An bomb squad in New South Waled, Australia, responds to a homemade explosive device planted on a car at a Sydney home displaying the Palestinian flag.
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This picture shows the improvised bomb on the car of the Palestine supporter in Sydney’s Botany on January 8, 2024. (Social media)
Bomb squad officers were summoned to a residence in South Sydney following the placement of a homemade explosive bomb on a car belonging to a pro-Palestinian owner, who was only referred to as Theo to protect his identity.
Discovered on the vehicle's hood in Botany, on Friday afternoon, the bomb seemed to be crafted from a jerry can with stuffed rags, a disposable lighter, and large bolts.
The vehicle was parked in the driveway of a residence where the Palestinian flag and a sign with statements about the Gaza war were exhibited on the front fence. A note affixed to the side of the device conveyed the message: "Enough! Take down the flag! One chance!!!!"
Officers from the NSW police rescue and bomb squad responded, inspecting and confirming the safety of the "suspicious item." A bomb disposal robot was observed in a police vehicle at the scene.
A homemade bomb was planted on a car in the driveway of a Sydney home flying the Palestinian flag with hand-written statements about the Gaza war displayed on the front fence. Officers from the NSW police rescue and bomb squad attended and deemed the "suspicious item" safe. pic.twitter.com/O9VXKEHzuL
— Anne Tootill (@toot5000) January 8, 2024
Theo, the resident of the house, told The Guardian that he found the device around 2 pm on Friday, suspecting it was planted overnight.
"I felt scared, intruded on, violated, and angry," he said.
"The police haven’t told me much. I don’t know what to think. I’ve had a lot of messages of support from people, which means a lot, but unfortunately, this did happen."
A 'reprehensible' act: MP Birmingham
Liberal MP Simon Birmingham said the act was "reprehensible," adding that "Australia is a democratic nation of free speech. Whether driven by disagreement, intolerance or Islamophobia, this act has no place in our nation", he posted on X/Twitter.
Australia is a democratic nation of free speech. Whether driven by disagreement, intolerance or Islamophobia this act has no place in our nation.
— Simon Birmingham (@Birmo) January 8, 2024
Whatever anyone’s views about flying the Palestinian flag at this time, this is illegal & reprehensible behaviour to be condemned. https://t.co/MLZYrGPr6C
"Whatever anyone’s views about flying the Palestinian flag at this time, this is illegal & reprehensible behavior to be condemned."
Nasser Mashni from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network remarked that the incident was "another alarming sign of the anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia that is rife" in Australian communities."It’s appalling to see these attempts to terrorize members of the community into silence for their acts of solidarity with Palestinians," he said.
Police have designated the area as a crime scene and initiated an investigation into the incident. They encourage anyone with additional information to contact Crime Stoppers.
