A Sydney nurse has been charged with three Commonwealth offences after allegedly making antisemitic threats in a video filmed at Bankstown Hospital and shared online.
Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, was arrested on Tuesday evening, February 25, after attending Sutherland Police Station.
She faces charges of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend.
The charges stem from an investigation launched on February 12 by Strike Force Pearl detectives.
The video, which circulated widely on social media, showed two nurses in NSW Health uniforms allegedly making threats toward Israeli patients during an online video call with Israeli influencer Max Veifer.
In the footage, Abu Lebdeh is heard telling Veifer, “One day, your time will come, and you will die the most horrible death.”
When asked how she would respond to an Israeli patient, she replies, “I won’t treat them; I will kill them.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb praised Strike Force Pearl for their swift action.
“These charges have been laid following a lot of hard work and legal advice,” Webb said.
Police worked with international counterparts to obtain and translate a witness statement for court.
Abu Lebdeh, who has been stood down by NSW Health, was granted conditional bail and is set to appear in court on March 19.
Her co-worker, Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir, has also been suspended by NSW Health and remains under investigation but has not been charged.
Abu Lebdeh’s arrest marks the 14th under Strike Force Pearl, which has now laid 76 charges.
Source: The Advertiser.
