Controversial IRL livestreamer JohnnySomali has reportedly promised to stop broadcasting while denying some of the charges against him as he appeared in front of a court in Japan this week.
Catch up: JohnnySomali, whose real name is Ismael Ramsey Khalid, is accused of disrupting a gyudon chain in Osaka by playing loud music while livestreaming in September. He has been charged with “forcible obstruction of business” for that incident.
What he’s saying: Khalid denied the allegation in his first trial at the Osaka District Court on Tuesday. The 24-year-old claimed that the loud music was out of his control as it was played automatically and unintentionally when a viewer of his livestream reacted.
Khalid then apologized in front of the judge, vowing never to create or post videos again.
“I swear I will never take videos again in the future,” he told the court. He added that he wants to return to his country to pursue his studies and “be a role model [to his family].”
What’s next: The prosecution reportedly asked for a 200,000 yen ($1,400) fine. The judge’s verdict will be handed down on Jan. 10, 2024.
About JohnnySomali: Known as a “nuisance streamer,” Khalid rose to notoriety after going viral for a train incident in Tokyo in May, in which he ranted about World War II while harassing other train passengers. He has since been hunted down, confronted and attacked in public in Japan, as well as even when he visited Bangkok in July.
Khalid was eventually arrested in late September following a trespassing incident at a construction site in Osaka in late August. Jeremiah Dwane Branch, whom several X users identified as Jino, Khalid’s alleged cameraman at the time, was also arrested.
