An Australian citizen arrested for spitting in the face of a mosque imam in Indonesia may face up to a year in prison.
According to Arab News, the alleged CCV footage of the incident has also emerged and is going viral on social media.
The video is said to be of Brenton Craig Abbas Abdullah MacArthur, in which he can be seen approaching Imam Basri Anwar of a mosque in Bandug.
In the video, they can be seen talking to the imam of the mosque and then hurling their spit.
The video also shows Arthur, 47, wearing a baseball cap. After the incident, the imam is seen running away from the mosque, after which Arthur also leaves the mosque.
Police say McArthur is originally from Perth, Western Australia. His visa had expired, and he was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport when he was trying to board a flight to his home country.
“We immediately asked the immigration authorities to stop him and not allow him to leave the country,” said Bandug local police chief Budai Sartuno.
According to him, we took them from the airport to the police station for an investigation.
Local Indonesian news website Komparan said MacArthur was accompanied by Australian consulate officials at the police station. Malik Arthur has been charged with ‘offensive and indecent behaviour.” Which can be punished for up to 14 months.
He denied any wrongdoing on Instagram, claiming he was a victim of racism.
“All racists should stop shedding tears,” he added. I’m a Muslim, and it’s just racism to threaten a foreigner and laugh like a coward.”
On the other hand, Imam Masjid Anwar told the local media that he believes MacArthur was disturbed by the recitation of the Quran on the loudspeaker.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is ready to provide assistance to its nationals who are detained in Indonesia.