Man accused of threatening Brisbane mosque with AK-47 faces court
A Brisbane man who allegedly made gun threats against a mosque that had previously been targeted with Nazi graffiti has landed him in court.
Support care worker Louis Francesco Rapisarda, 33, was charged with disturbing a place of worship and public nuisance after he allegedly threatened members of a mosque in North Brisbane earlier this month.
Kambiz Koshan, director of Bald Hills Masjid Taqwa mosque, had previously said that on Sunday, May 10, a man entered the building and told onlookers that he was holding an AK-47 assault rifle.
Worshipers pushed the man away before police arrived on the scene.
Mr. Rapisarda was charged with crimes against the mosque the same day and was released on duty bail.
Court documents revealed he was also charged with public nuisance in relation to a second place of worship, the Mitchelton Presbyterian Church on Ruby Road.
Police released a statement shortly after Mr. Rapisarda’s arrest, claiming there was no ongoing threat to the community.
Masjid Al Taqwa mosque was previously targeted with hateful and offensive graffiti in an unrelated incident in December last year. It is not suggested that Mr. Rapisarda had any involvement in this incident.
CCTV footage shows an unknown person spray-painting a Nazi swatiska and the words “Allah Damn” and “No to Muslims = Peace” on the wall of the mosque.
Mr Rapisarda’s matter was briefly raised before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
While the Mitchelton man did not attend the hearing in person, Brisbane lawyer Kyle Goodman was present on his behalf.
Mr. Goodman asked the court to postpone the matter for a few weeks to allow Mr. Rapisarda to receive funds for his legal representation.
Magistrate Peter Saggers granted his request to hear the matter on June 19.
If legal funds cannot be raised, Mr. Rapisarda will need to be present in person.
As a condition of bail, he was banned from entering mosques and churches.
