Bomb squad officers have been called to a south Sydney home after an improvised explosive device was planted on the car of its pro-Palestinian residents.
The homemade device that appeared to be made of a jerry can with rags stuffed into it, a disposable lighter and large bolts was found on the vehicle’s bonnet in Botany on Friday afternoon.
The car was parked in the driveway of a home where the Palestinian flag and a board with statements about the Gaza war were displayed on the front fence.
A note taped to the side of the device read “Enough! Take down flag! One chance!!!!”
Officers from the NSW police rescue and bomb squad attended and deemed the “suspicious item” safe. A bomb disposal robot could be seen in a police vehicle at the site.
The man who lives in the house, Theo, whose last name is being withheld for safety reasons, told Guardian Australia he and his partner discovered the device about 2pm on Friday and suspected it was planted during the night.
“I felt scared, intruded on, violated and angry,” he said.
“The police haven’t told me much. I don’t know what to think. I’ve had a lot of messages of support from people, which means a lot, but unfortunately this did happen.”
He said he had included his phone number on the board in an effort to encourage open dialogue about the conflict.
The Liberal MP Simon Birmingham said the act was “reprehensible”.
“Australia is a democratic nation of free speech. Whether driven by disagreement, intolerance or Islamophobia, this act has no place in our nation”, he posted on X/Twitter.
“Whatever anyone’s views about flying the Palestinian flag at this time, this is illegal & reprehensible behaviour to be condemned.”
The acting home affairs minister, Andrew Giles, said there is “no place in Australia for antisemitism, Islamophobia or any form of hate speech”, following the alleged bomb threat.
Nasser Mashni of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said the act was “another alarming sign of the anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia that is rife” in Australian communities.
“It’s appalling to see these attempts to terrorise members of the community into silence for their acts of solidarity with Palestinians,” he said.
Police established a crime scene and have begun investigating the incident. They urged anyone with more information to contact Crime Stoppers.
