Sydney man charged over death threats against PM before Federal election

Threats over social media in the lead-up to the federal election have seen 36-year-old Alexander Phillip David Keating charged with an offence which carries a maximum nine-year jail sentence.

PM Anthony Albanese allegedly received death threats before the 2025 Federal Election. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

A Kingswood man has been charged with making death threats towards Anthony Albanese on social media in the lead up to the 2025 Federal Election.

Alexander Phillip David Keating was charged with threatening a Commonwealth parliamentarian, and appeared at John Maddison Tower Local Court on Friday morning.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of nine years’ imprisonment.

The 36-year-old was identified after an AFP investigation commencing in March 2025, which allegedly linked the man to the social media account.

A search warrant was executed at his home on May 7, 2025, and a forensic examination was conducted on his seized devices.

Court documents revealed that the man allegedly made a threat to cause harm, to wit, murder, to Mr Albanese between February 20 and March 3.

Mr Keating will next appear in court on August 29.

Mr Albanese confirmed he was the MP targeted but declined to elaborate.

“The person is myself … but I don’t want to comment on national security issues and on those issues whether it involves someone else or whether it involves me directly.

“What I do is have confidence in our national security agencies to do their job and they do it very well,” Mr Albanese said.

AFP Acting Commander Mark Baron said the safety and security of parliamentarians was taken seriously by the AFP.

“The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression, but I want to make it clear we will never tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment,” Acting Commander Baron said.