Ahmedabad: The Australian citizen of Chinese descent does not have an in-depth understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict and breached the security parameter to make a dash for the pitch during the final of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, wearing a “Free Palestine” T-shirt, to gain more followers on social media, it is learnt.
Police sources in Ahmedabad told ThePrint that Jen Jon Wei ‘aka’ Wen Johnson has admitted to taking medicines to curb symptoms of “schizophrenia” — a mental disorder that impairs an individual’s ability to think, feel and express.
The 24-year-old was detained at the Narendra Modi Stadium here seconds after he made a dash for the pitch and tried to hug cricketer Virat Kohli during the World Cup final Sunday. By some estimates, he covered a distance of nearly 100 metres in under 14 seconds.
Johnson has been booked under sections 353 and 441 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which correspond to charges of use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty and trespassing, respectively.
However, while the FIR against him at Chandkheda police station mentions his sprint across the cricket stadium, it does not say that he was wearing a T-shirt that read “Stop Bombing Palestine” on the front and “Free Palestine” on the back.
On Tuesday, a court in Gandhinagar granted Johnson bail and ordered him to furnish a bond of Rs 10,000. The court also conveyed to Johnson that he would not be allowed to leave Ahmedabad before the conclusion of the trial.
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A high school graduate, Johnson is an employee of a Sydney-based solar installation company, it is learnt.
Police sources in Ahmedabad also told ThePrint that he produced a prescription for ‘Abilify 5MG’ — an antipsychotic used to treat mental disorders — and claimed that he takes the medicine to keep symptoms of schizophrenia in check.
He is estranged from his family and has 10 siblings, sources said, adding that one of Johnson’s elder sisters has reached out to the police. “The sister called us and expressed regret at the incident. She also conveyed to us that the family wants for him to stay in police custody and get better,” said one police officer who did not want to be named.
Sources in the Ahmedabad police also said Johnson arrived in India on 8 November and that they have reason to believe this was his first foreign trip, adding that he bought tickets to multiple matches in Australia but never attended any of them.
According to a statement issued by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), which is probing the case, Johnson had invaded the field during the FIFA Women’s World Cup match wearing a ‘Free Ukraine’ T-shirt in August this year. He did the same during a rugby match in Australia in 2020 and during a cricket match between Queensland and New South Wales in 2021, for which he was fined 200 Australian dollars but never charged.
On Sunday, he entered the stadium in Ahmedabad wearing a different T-shirt to avoid detection, sources said, adding that he claimed to have bought the ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirt at a local market in Sydney. Johnson befriended some individuals back in Australia who told him about the “oppression” suffered by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, it is learnt.
He also told the police that he was “against all wars,” added sources.
Johnson also told officers during interrogation that he wants to become a famous YouTuber and was influenced by streamers Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, Darren Jason Watkins Jr. and Yousef Saleh Erakat, among others. He disclosed that he had been running a TikTok channel by the name of ‘Pyjama Man’ where he uploaded videos of him pranking others.
“We looked at his TikTok. He keeps doing these antics for attention, lying down on a busy street in Australia, or running around spilling groceries all over the floor in supermarkets,” said a second police source.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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