LONDON – An Australian man caught on CCTV spitting in the face of an imam in Indonesia might face more than a year in prison.
Footage purportedly shows Brenton Craig Abbas Abdullah McArthur has gone viral in the country on social media. It shows him approaching Basri Anwar, an imam at a mosque in Bandung, and engaging in conversation with him before spitting at him.
Anwar is then seen fleeing, while McArthur, dressed in a baseball cap, exits the mosque.
McArthur, originally from Perth, Western Australia, was tracked to Soekarno-Hatta Airport and detained while attempting to catch a flight home, according to police.
“We immediately asked immigration to stop him and cancel his departure from the country,” said Budi Sartono, chief of Bandung’s local police.
“We immediately picked him up at the airport and took him to the Bandung police station for interrogation.”
According to Kumparan, a local media website, McArthur, who was brought to the police station by Australian diplomatic authorities, was prosecuted under legislation dealing to “unpleasant acts and insults,” which carry a maximum sentence of 14 months in prison.
He denied any misconduct on Instagram, claiming he was a victim of prejudice.
“Stop crying all your racist tears,” McArthur shouted. I am a Muslim, and threatening a bule (Indonesian slang for a foreigner) and giggling as a coward is simply racist.”
Anwar informed an Indonesian news site that a recital of the Qur’an over a loudspeaker had “disturbed” McArthur.
According to a representative for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the country is prepared to give consular support to an Australian man arrested in Indonesia.
