French backpacker denied bail over alleged anti-Israeli assault
A 25-year-old French backpacker is denied bail in Queensland after allegedly assaulting an Israeli man he accused of killing people in Gaza.
Leo Raymund Cotene, a 25-year-old French backpacker, has been denied bail after allegedly assaulting an Israeli man at a Cairns backpackers. According to prosecutors, Cotene approached the Israeli man, hugged him twice, pulled a 20-centimetre knife from his bag, and made anti-Israeli comments such as "You kill people in Gaza" and "F*** Israel".
The incident occurred on August 13 at the Mad Monkey Backpackers, where Cotene and 13 other backpackers were staying. Cotene's lawyer argued that the aggravated circumstances were related to nationality rather than religion, and that his client had a history of working in the construction industry with no criminal record in either Australia or France.
However, the magistrate, Tom Brayes, rejected Cotene's bail application, citing concerns about the risk of further offending and endangering the public, particularly those of Israeli origin or Jewish faith.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
