Australian anti-Chinese Communist Party activist Drew Pavlou has returned home after being arrested in London over what he claims was a Beijing-orchestrated frame-up for a fake bomb threat.
Pavlou, 23, arrived in the U.K. for Wimbledon last month to call attention to the controversial disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Before leaving the country, he tried to stage a protest at the Chinese Embassy in London.
However, Pavlou and his companion, identified only as Harry, were arrested by Metropolitan police after staff at the Chinese Embassy had alerted them of a bomb threat sent from the email address “[email protected]” Police said Pavlou also had glue and was trying to stick his hand to the embassy building.
Pavlou and Harry were detained on “suspicion of trespass on diplomatic premises, communicating false information to make a bomb hoax, and criminal damage.”. In a video, Pavlou said he was held incommunicado for 23 hours with no access to lawyers.
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“I’m a peaceful human rights activist facing charges carrying seven years in jail simply because the Chinese Embassy reported me to the British Police as a terrorist. I’ve been set up with a manufactured fake bomb threat email,” Pavlou wrote in a tweet.
In an interview with NTD, Pavlou explained that he attempted to glue the Taiwanese flag at the Chinese Embassy’s gate — a move he now “wishes to god” he had not tried.
“The Chinese Embassy had reported me as for a bomb threat that morning, and I was walking into a trap, little did I know,” he told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Pavlou’s lawyer Michael Polak said circumstantial evidence “points to it being someone connected to the [Chinese] Embassy,” since the email was sent on the same day Pavlou decided to stage the protest. Additionally, Pavlou claimed that he was being filmed at his accommodation “for hours” and that someone with a British accent had called him to say the “party” was after him.
Four weeks into the ordeal, Pavlou announced on Sunday that he was heading home to Australia. He vowed that he will “soon be totally exonerated” and that he will “sue everyone involved.”
“Thank you God, thank you to my family, thank you to the Australian High Commission. Justice will be done,” Pavlou wrote.
While Pavlou is back in Australia, an investigation into the case continues. He will return to London in October.
Featured Image via Drew Pavlou
