Sydney man Nathan Sykes accused of making violent threats to Melbourne lawyer and journalist Luke McMahon

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

An alleged far-right extremist has been charged in Sydney with threatening a Melbourne lawyer and journalist who had written about him.

Nathan Sykes was arrested at his Brighton-Le-Sands home on Friday morning and taken to Newtown police station where he was charged with three counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence; and two counts of using a carriage service to threaten serious harm.

Sykes is a lieutenant of the prominent white supremacist Jim Saleam, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 50-year-old was arrested over allegations he made repeated and explicit violent threats to the Melbourne lawyer and journalist Luke McMahon.

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On Friday Sykes was granted strict bail on the condition he did not travel to Victoria, did not contact the alleged victim and that he surrendered his passport to New South Wales police.

As he was leaving the police station, Sykes was asked by a reporter if he had threatened McMahon. “No, I was harassed by a troll,” he replied.

Asked again, he replied: “If that guy’s a journalist, mate, I’m a goddamn rocket scientist.”

Sykes is due to face Newtown local court on 4 April.