THE INDEPENDENT | Published February 26, 2025
Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, charged with threatening violence after video sparked public outcry
A New South Wales nurse, suspended over a social media video in which she allegedly said she would refuse to treat and kill Israeli patients, has been charged by the police.
Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with the federal offences of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace and harass, police said in a statement. The charges carried a potential maximum penalty of 22 years in prison.
Ms Lebdeh, who worked at the Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital in Sydney’s southwest, was arrested on Tuesday night.
Earlier, a video had surfaced in which she and colleague Ahmed Rashid Nadir allegedly made inflammatory remarks.
The nurses, wearing their uniforms, engaged in a conversation on video chat platform Chatruletka with Jewish content creator Max Veifer. In the footage, seemingly filmed inside the hospital and shared by Mr Veifer, Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir allegedly boasted about denying treatment to Israeli patients, killing them, and “condemning them to hell”. Both Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir were suspended pending an investigation.
Mr Nadir, who is undergoing medical treatment, has not been charged but remains under investigation, according to NSW Police.
Ms Lebdeh, a Condell Park resident, was granted conditional bail and is set to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 19 March.
Authorities have found no evidence that patients were harmed, but NSW Health is continuing its investigation.
Earlier, it was reported that Mr Veifer had provided police with the video showing the two Sydney nurses allegedly boasting about killing Israeli patients. Officers from Strike Force Pearl were in contact with Mr Veifer, who was cooperating with the investigation, local media said.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the case was “not straight forward” while health minister Ryan Park stated there was no indication patients were adversely affected.
“Given the nature of this offending, where we had two people here in NSW and the recording made overseas. It’s been a complex investigation given the nature of, we’re talking across borders,” Ms Webb said.
“[There] has been a lot of work by investigators and support from overseas jurisdictions to get the statement from the influencer and have it converted to English and have it admissible in court.”
“She is on very, very strict bail conditions, namely prohibiting her from going to a point of departure from Australia, but more importantly, banned from using social media,” Commissioner Webb said.
The footage had earlier sparked public outcry and condemnation from officials, including prime minister Anthony Albanese who called it “vile” and “disgusting”.
Mr Nadir previously told reporters the incident was a “big mistake”, calling the remarks a joke that went too far and apologising for any offence caused.
Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents, including an alleged bomb plot and arson attacks on synagogues. Advocacy groups report an increase in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, triggering the war in Gaza.
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SOURCE: www.independent.co.uk
RELATED: Nurse in Australia charged over video about killing Israelis
Police charge 26-year-old woman over video that prompted widespread condemnation.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb holds a news conference in Sydney, Australia on April 16, 2024 [Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images]
AL JAZEERA | Published February 26, 2025
A nurse in Australia has been charged with making death threats and other offences over a video appearing to show hospital staff boasting about killing and denying treatment to Israeli patients.
New South Wales Police said on Wednesday that they had charged a 26-year-old woman with three offences, including threatening violence to a group and using a carriage service to threaten to kill.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the woman, named in local media as Sarah Abu Lebdeh, was prohibited from leaving Australia or using social media as part of “very, very strict” bail conditions.
Webb said the woman was scheduled to face court in Sydney on March 19.
The announcement comes after footage of two staff at a Sydney hospital bragging about harming Israeli patients went viral on social media earlier this month, prompting widespread condemnation.
In an online video chat shared by Israeli content creator Max Veifer, Abu Lebdeh allegedly told the influencer that she would not treat Israelis seeking medical attention and would “kill them”.
The video also appeared to show a male hospital staff member saying he had sent many Israeli patients to “Jahannam”, the Arabic word for hell.
The man, identified in local reports as Ahmad Rashad Nadir, has not been charged over the incident.
Health authorities have banned the two hospital staff from working in healthcare “in any context” over the incident, which Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled “disgusting, sickening and shameful”.
Australia has been roiled by a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in recent months, including an alleged bomb plot and several arson attacks on synagogues.
Advocacy groups have reported a surge in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a multipronged attack on Israel and Israel began its war in Gaza.
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