Broadmeadows man to face court accused of waving flag of terrorist group Hezbollah at CBD protest
A Broadmeadows man is set to face court after allegedly waving the flag of declared terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a Melbourne CBD protest.
Police & Courts
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A man accused of waving the flag of a declared terrorist organisation at a CBD rally is expected to face court next month.
Federal police allege the Broadmeadows man waved the flag of terrorist group Hezbollah during a protest in Melbourne’s CBD last September.
Pictures of the man, released by the Australian Federal Police on Thursday, allegedly depict the 34-year-old waving the yellow flag while wearing a green headband.
Publicly displaying the Hezbollah flag or symbols of known terrorist groups was outlawed in January last year.
Hezbollah was officially declared a terrorist organisation in December 2021.
The man accused was one of thousands who gathered in cities and towns across the country following the death of Hezbollah senior leader Hasan Nasrallah in September.
The Broadmeadows man was this week served with a notice for the offence of the public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.
That offence now carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ behind bars.
The 34-year-old has been summoned to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 19.
He became the second Melbourne man charged over allegedly waving the Hezbollah flat at that city protest last year.
A Ferntree Gully man, 36, is also accused of waving the yellow flag throughout the CBD and is expected to face court next month.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said work was continuing to identify any further alleged offenders from the September protest.
“The AFP is relentlessly pursuing evidence and identifying those who allegedly displayed prohibited symbols at the Melbourne protest in 2024,” he said.
“Investigators have reviewed more than 100 hours of CCTV footage, police body worn camera footage and vision taken at the Melbourne protest and will continue exploring every avenue to identify those involved.”
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