Controversial councillor Salim Mehajer charged for intimidation

Auburn's deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been charged due to alleged threats made in September.

Image via Salim Mehajer

Auburn deputy mayor, Salim Mehajer, briefly went missing on Thursday, in light of charges laid against him for alleged threats made to the father of Sydney siege survivor Joel Herat. The incident he’s being investigated for allegedly occurred on September 16, outside a Burwood Anytime Fitness centre. Mehajer reportedly confronted Bruce Herat, 52, after being asked to stop dropping weights on the floor of the gym. He took things further with the old “don’t you know who I am” bit, but chose a more unorthodox follow-up, declaring: “I’m going to find out where you live and have your kids kidnapped”.

Mehajer has recently developed infamy for an extravagant wedding that shut down a number of local streets, and his announcement that he’d like to one day be the Prime Minister, made overnight on Monday. Unfortunately, he didn’t consult the public on whether they’d like to see either of these actually happen. Despite his unusual behaviour, he was re-elected as deputy mayor in September, even though he had been criticised for blurring the line between his work with the council and his own property interests. 

Mehajer denied any allegations and said he planned to sue both Anytime Fitness and Herat for $10 million in damages. Originally, a police spokesperson explained no charges had been laid because they had notified him he’d be charged, and had been unable to track him down. However, after emailing news.com.au about an appointment with Burwood police, the 29-year-old was served with a future court attendance notice for the offence of intimidation and is set to appear in local court on November 19. A personal violence order was also served.

Prior to being charged, Mehajer posted a message to the police “Commissioner” on Facebook, saying that NSW police were “continuing to make a fool not only of themselves, but of our country”. The statement was made after his brand new Mercedes G63 AMG was deemed unroadworthy earlier on Thursday.  The assessment was made, as his car exhaust was located on the side of his car, and not at the back, and emissions were directed towards drivers next to the car. After this string of bizarre behaviour, something tells us this is certainly not the last time we’ll be hearing about the eccentric councillor.

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