Australian Federal Police Charge 55-Year-Old Over Alleged Threats to Kill MP

The man is facing multiple charges, with maximum penalties of 10 years’ imprisonment.

Members move across the floor during a division in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 4, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

A 55-year-old man in Western Sydney has been arrested after allegedly making threats to kill a federal parliamentarian.

The man was charged on Feb. 18 after a national security investigations team from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) executed a search warrant at his Macquarie Fields home.

He appeared before Campbelltown Local Court the same day, was refused bail, and is due to return to court on Mar. 4.

Police alleged that the man made multiple threatening phone calls to the parliamentarian’s office in February 2026.

During the search, investigators seized three gel blasters, three slingshot mounts and a pair of metal handcuffs. Electronic devices were also seized and will undergo forensic examination.

The man was charged with two counts of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill, three counts of possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm, and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon (handcuffs).

The maximum penalties for these offences are 10 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Detective Superintendent Jeremy Staunton said threats against politicians are being treated as serious criminal behaviour.

“The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression, but criminal behaviour and threats to kill will never be tolerated,” he said.

A Spate of Recent Cases

The Macquarie Fields charge is the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent months.

Earlier this month, a 39-year-old Queensland man, was charged after allegedly threatening multiple federal parliamentarians on social media between Dec. 10 and 15, 2025.

A search warrant was executed at a Woodridge unit on Dec. 19, 2025, where officers seized swords, axes and electronic files. Police alleged evidence of the threats was found on the man’s mobile phone and desktop computer.

In January, a 43-year-old man from Western Sydney was charged with allegedly making death threats against a federal parliamentarian by phone.

In another case, a Sydney man, 27, appeared in Manly Local Court on Dec. 22, 2025, after being charged for allegedly making a social media post calling for the kidnapping of the MP.

AFP Commissioner Warns of ‘Personalised Grievance’

At a recent Budgets Estimates hearing, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett raised concerns about, what she described, was a willingness to translate online hatred into real-world violence.

“We are witnessing the continued rise of individual grievance, including those who are willing to make threats in the online world and then carry them out in the real world,” she said.

Barrett noted that some offenders did not need a network or co-conspirators to act, with threats often driven by personal grievance, fixation, or world events.

“It may also be that loneliness, or a feeling of exclusion, is driving some of this radicalisation—where individuals who find it hard to make connections go searching for forums or platforms where their polarising views are accepted,” she said.

The AFP has repeatedly urged the public to report threats against parliamentarians, warning that while political debates are legitimate, intimidation and violence are unlawful.