A science student who repeatedly shared plans on social media to assassinate Senator Pauline Hanson won’t end up with a criminal record.
Koshin-Connor Ibrahim claimed he never intended to follow through on his threats, which were actually part of a plan to get him banned from social media site Twitter, now called X.
After his previous Twitter account was banned for using obscene language against another unnamed member of parliament, Ibrahim set up the new “Butcher of Barkley Square” account in early 2022.
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“I’m planning an assassination of Senator Pauline Hanson that I fully intend to follow through on,” Ibrahim tweeted on September 16 last year.
He said the only way to stop him was to ban his Twitter account.
“I have weapons and the plan is to kill high-profile Senator Pauline Hanson,” he wrote.
Prosecutors recommended his case be diverted from the court system, allowing him to avoid a criminal conviction and formal finding of guilt.
Magistrate Therese McCarthy agreed and ordered he make a $1000 donation to the Royal Flying Doctors Service — a charity chosen by the One Nation leader.
When Ibrahim’s first tweets didn’t get him banned he followed up on October 11.
“I’m coming to kill you right now. I’m coming to kill you with my mind. I have psychic powers and I’m going to use them to kill you tonight”.
Ibrahim bragged about the assassination plot tweets in a group chat with other social media users.
His barrister, Patrick Doyle SC, said Ibrahim believed Twitter was taking up too much of his time and getting banned would lend him more credibility than deleting his account.
Ibrahim, who has since written an apology letter, had deliberately chosen extreme language after searching online for how to get banned from Twitter, he said.
McCarthy said Ibrahim’s actions weren’t funny or acceptable.
“This whole situation is one of abject stupidity — it was a really stupid thing to do and it was a really harmful and hurtful thing to do,” she said.
“Senator Pauline Hanson, whether you agree with her politics or not, is entitled to safely conduct herself as an elected member of parliament.”
The court heard Ibrahim was studying science at university and wanted to specialise in food security matters.
His parents met when his mother was working in a refugee camp in Somalia, where his father is believed to have identified the last case of smallpox in the world while working for the Centre for Disease Control.
McCarthy said she hoped Ibrahim could follow in their footsteps and make a contribution to society.
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