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January 21, 2026 — 5:03pm
A 45-year-old man was “angry” and “venting” when he allegedly threatened to shoot Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a social media post, a NSW court has been told after federal police arrested him at a campground on the Mid North Coast.
Karin Mohamed Salem is accused of issuing the threat against Albanese and airing “other grievances against authority figures” in a Facebook post in November.
On Tuesday, he was arrested in his car, where he is understood to live, by national security investigators at the campground near Bellingen. He was later charged with using a carriage service to threaten serious harm.
Salem was silent and rested his hands between his legs when he appeared by audiovisual link at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday afternoon, as his lawyer Tas Tasdemir sought to explain the circumstances leading to the threat being issued.
“My instructions were there was a story, he was angry and was venting, that’s why he posted that message on Facebook,” Tasdemir told the court, adding that his client never sought to act upon the threat and that it was his first time in custody.
The prosecution opposed bail and argued Salem, who doesn’t have a fixed address, may represent a flight risk.
Federal prosecutor Jon Kisch said the message levelled at Albanese was “very concerning”, noting that Salem had a “relatively limited” connection to the local community.
Magistrate Lisa Viney granted bail with several conditions attached, including for Salem to surrender his passport at Coffs Harbour Police Station, where he will be required to report daily.
He will also be barred from entering any international airport, or other departure point in Australia, and will be required to share the password or PIN code of the one mobile phone he will be allowed under the bail conditions.
Salem will be banned from using any social media, and must produce his phone to police if asked to do so. He posted bail with a $500 surety, and will be required to notify police if he secures a fixed address.
He is due to return to court in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday. The offence carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.
Almost 1000 threats to federal politicians were referred to the Australian Federal Police in the last financial year, marking a 63 per cent rise over the past four years. Albanese has been the subject of numerous alleged threats made by members of the public, including a 29-year-old northern NSW man arrested for online threats targeting the prime minister.
Gregory Williams Tait, 43, fronted court last week charged with threatening to kill Albanese one day after the Bondi terror attack. Court documents allege Tait called Albanese just after midday on December 15, and again in the evening, while the contents on the alleged threatening calls, aside from the alleged threats, remain unknown.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the latest charge when contacted by this masthead.
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