An Australian man is facing more than a year behind bars for allegedly spitting in the face of an imam at an Indonesian mosque.
Brenton Craig Abbas Abdullah McArthur, 47, was arrested at Soekarno – Hatta International Airport before he boarded a flight back to Australia on Friday night, hours after the incident at Jami Al-Muhajir Mosque in West Java.
He denies the allegation.
In a statement, Bandung police chief Budi Sartono said: “We immediately ask[ed] immigration to stop him and cancel him from leaving the country. We immediately pick[ed] him up at the airport and [took] him to the Bandung Police Station for interrogation.”
The 47-year-old is charged with Articles 335 and 315 of the Criminal Code, which regulate unpleasant acts and insults.
He could face a maximum sentence of 14 months in prison if convicted.
Alleged incident
CTTV footage, which has since gone viral, shows a man wearing a baseball cap entering the mosque and talking to the imam before appearing to spit in his face.
The imam flees as the man casually walks away.
Imam Muhammad Basri Anwar, 24, was reciting verses of the religious text using a mobile phone and a loudspeaker when the alleged incident took place.
The imam told an Indonesian news site that Mr McArthur was allegedly “disturbed” by the 3am recitation, which allegedly motivated him to engage in such a “disgraceful act”.
“When it’s Holy Friday, there’s always Koran recitation. It seems he … felt disturbed,” he said.
Mr McArthur was later arrested by police at the airport in Jakarta after video of the incident went viral online.
“We immediately ask[ed] immigration to stop him and cancel him from leaving the country,” Bandung police chief Budi Sartono said in a statement on Saturday.
“We immediately pick[ed] him up at the airport and [took] him to the Bandung Police Station for interrogation.”
It’s understood Mr McArthur was staying at a hotel next to the mosque, which he checked out of on the same day of the incident.
However, no suggestion has been made that the self-proclaimed philosopher was trying to flee police, with reports saying he already had a ticket on hand for a flight back to Australia prior to the incident.
Despite his arrest, Mr McArthur denies any wrongdoing and has released a statement to his Instagram account.
“Stop crying all your racist tears,” the statement accompanying a video of Mr McArthur reads.
“I am a Muslim and this is just a racist, threatening a bule [foreigner] and laughing being a coward.”
A caption alongside the post also added: “Span [sic] this with your racist hate. I am the victim, you shameless racist.”
The post has since received backlash from infuriated locals, with some calling the alleged actions “uncivilised”.
“We don’t care whether you are Muslim or not,” one person said. “It is uncivilised and a crime. Respect us who live here, before you ask to be respected.”
“You claim to be Muslim but your behaviour doesn’t reflect yourself as a Muslim,” another wrote.
A third comment said: “This country is the most welcoming for foreigners, but not for the arrogant, impolite, and uncivilised people.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it’s ready to provide “consular assistance” to Mr McArthur.
“Due to privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further information,” they said.
The incident comes just a day after Brisbane tradie Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones’ arrest in the Indonesia province of Aceh, after being accused of going on a drunken rampage that saw him allegedly trying to snatch a motorbike while naked on Thursday.
Mr Risby-Jones told the ABC he felt “almost possessed” after drinking “just one shot” of vodka prior to the incident.
“It was not a good feeling. I wasn’t myself. Normally I am a very nice guy,” he said.
Under Islamic law, the consumption and sale of alcohol is banned in Aceh with the 23-year-old now facing the prospect of spending time in an Indonesia jail.
He could also be subject to 40 lashes with a cane, as this is a regular punishment for such offences.