A New South Wales nurse, suspended over a social media video in which she allegedly said she would refuse to treat and kill Israeli patients, has been charged by the police.
Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with the federal offences of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace and harass, police said in a statement. The charges carried a potential maximum penalty of 22 years in prison.
Ms Lebdeh, who worked at the Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital in Sydney’s southwest, was arrested on Tuesday night.
Earlier, a video had surfaced in which she and colleague Ahmed Rashid Nadir allegedly made inflammatory remarks.
The nurses, wearing their uniforms, engaged in a conversation on video chat platform Chatruletka with Jewish content creator Max Veifer. In the footage, seemingly filmed inside the hospital and shared by Mr Veifer, Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir allegedly boasted about denying treatment to Israeli patients, killing them, and “condemning them to hell”. Both Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir were suspended pending an investigation.
Mr Nadir, who is undergoing medical treatment, has not been charged but remains under investigation, according to NSW Police.
Ms Lebdeh, a Condell Park resident, was granted conditional bail and is set to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 19 March.
Authorities have found no evidence that patients were harmed, but NSW Health is continuing its investigation.
Earlier, it was reported that Mr Veifer had provided police with the video showing the two Sydney nurses allegedly boasting about killing Israeli patients. Officers from Strike Force Pearl were in contact with Mr Veifer, who was cooperating with the investigation, local media said.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the case was “not straight forward” while health minister Ryan Park stated there was no indication patients were adversely affected.
“Given the nature of this offending, where we had two people here in NSW and the recording made overseas. It’s been a complex investigation given the nature of, we’re talking across borders,” Ms Webb said.
“[There] has been a lot of work by investigators and support from overseas jurisdictions to get the statement from the influencer and have it converted to English and have it admissible in court.”
"She is on very, very strict bail conditions, namely prohibiting her from going to a point of departure from Australia, but more importantly, banned from using social media," Commissioner Webb said.
The footage had earlier sparked public outcry and condemnation from officials, including prime minister Anthony Albanese who called it “vile” and “disgusting”.
Mr Nadir previously told reporters the incident was a “big mistake”, calling the remarks a joke that went too far and apologising for any offence caused.
Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents, including an alleged bomb plot and arson attacks on synagogues. Advocacy groups report an increase in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, triggering the war in Gaza.
