Man arrested for allegedly ramming gate of Russia’s Sydney consulate
Sept. 1 (UPI) — Australian police on Monday arrested a man accused of driving an SUV into the gates of Sydney’s Russian consulate, according to authorities and Russian officials.
Russia’s Consulate General, located on Fullerton Street in Sydney, confirmed the crash in a statement on Telegram, stating the incident occurred at about 8:05 a.m. AEST.
It said the driver had parked the SUV so as to block access to the premises and refused police orders to exit the vehicle. He then “deliberately rammed the gates” of the mission, it said.
No consulate general employees reported injuries and operations continued as normal, the consulate added.
“Thanks to the coordinated actions of the competent Australian authorities, the intruder was promptly neutralized,” the consulate general said.
“He has been arrested and is providing testimony regarding the motives for his actions.”
New South Wales Police identified the driver in a statement as a 39-year-old man.
He has been charged with a slew of offenses, including three counts of damaging property, three counts of resisting arrest and possession of a knife in a public space.
No motive was mentioned.
Police said the suspect had parked the SUV in the consulate’s driveway, then jumped the mission’s fence and entered the consulate grounds before re-entering his vehicle.
After police attempted to speak to the man, he allegedly “accelerated the vehicle — ramming the front gate of the property — causing significant damage.”
The suspect was then removed from the vehicle, arrested and transported to the Surry Hills Police Station, it said.
Two constables — ages 22 and 25 — suffered minor injuries in the incident, NSW Police said, without specifying exactly how they were injured.
The suspect is to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
