Australians Call For Arsonist Charged With Lighting Blaze Amid Bushfires To Be ‘STRUNG UP’

Fact checked
An arsonist who has been charged with starting fires amid the devastating bushfires in Australia, is facing a lynch mob of angry Australians demanding he face serious punishment for his alleged crimes, according to Australian reports.

An arsonist who has been charged with starting fires amid the devastating bushfires in Australia, is facing a lynch mob of angry Australians demanding he face serious punishment for his alleged crimes, according to Australian reports.

36-year-old Michael Truong of New South Wales was caught in the act of lighting fires by horrified local residents, who restrained the firebug and turned him in to the police.

Truong is accused of lighting a blaze in fire-ravaged Victoria and angry locals are now calling for him to be “strung up.

During his appearance at Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court, Truong faced-off with a horde of angry locals calling for him to be hung for his crimes.

The court charged Truong with lighting a bushfire, according to Daily Mail Australia.

‘String him up out the front of the court house,’ one angry person write on Facebook following the arrest. 

‘Fire bugs should be dropped in the middle of a bushfire from 30,000ft up. But give them a parachute so they don’t hurt themselves on landing,’ another wrote. 

‘He should be horse whipped with extreme prejudice,’ it continued. 

Detective Schulz said she believed the individuals who actually detained Truong were ‘quite restrained’. 

‘I was actually thinking he’s lucky nothing more had happened,’ she said.  ‘As to what his plan was or why he was doing it, Lord only knows.’

Michael Truong is led from Bairnsdale Magistrates' Court after his arrest
Michael Truong is led from Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court after his arrest

DailyMail reports: At the close of last year, 12 people in Victoria were charged for causing bushfires.

While Truong will front court again in April, police in the devastated area are prepared for a long grind until then. 

‘It’s a marathon and we’re only at the start,’ Detective Schulz said. ‘Notoriously it’s February that’s really bad for fires so I can’t see how we’re going to come out unscathed.’

Angry residents call for blood after Truong was charged with lighting a bushfire
Angry residents call for blood after Truong was charged with lighting a bushfire

More than half-a-billion hectares of land in Victoria has been burnt out in East Gippsland, with dozens of properties lost and many remote communities left without power and phone coverage.

Three people have been confirmed dead in Victoria’s east, with the death of Mat Kavanagh last Friday being confirmed as bushfire-related.

Buchan man Mick Roberts was identified as the first victim of the bushfire emergency, while Maramingo Creek timber worker Fred Becker was confirmed dead at the weekend. 

A firefighting helicopter tackles a bushfire near Bairnsdale in Victoria's East Gippsland region on New Year's Eve. Michael Truong is accused of trying to start a bushfire in the same region
A firefighting helicopter tackles a bushfire near Bairnsdale in Victoria’s East Gippsland region on New Year’s Eve. Michael Truong is accused of trying to start a bushfire in the same region

Truong was approached by suspicious residents, including a Country Fire Authority captain after they saw the New South Wales-licensed vehicle loitering in bushland. 

On closer inspection, the residents claimed that Truong had set fire to pieces of paper in thick scrub.

Their response saw the fire quickly extinguished and Truong was taken into custody by police. 

Detective Sergeant Margaret Schulz, of East Gippsland Criminal Investigation Unit, praised the individuals for averting a potential disaster. 

“He was (caught) straight away, because of the location, the neighbors were onto him straight away and they then rang the CFA,” she told the Mail. “It was a very small fire and it’s certainly not linked to what’s going on in relation to all the other fires.

Truong allegedly fled up the road, but was pursued and apprehended by the concerned residents until police arrived.

Police believe Truong had been living rough in his car for some time and it remains unclear why he had traveled south into Victoria. 

Despite widespread rumors within the fire-weary community, Detective Schulz said Truong was only suspected of lighting that one fire. “There is no information at this point that he has been responsible for anything else. Obviously he’s got some issues,” she said.

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry is a writer at The People's Voice. He covers politics, business and entertainment. Speaking truth to power since he learned to talk, Baxter has travelled in over 80 countries and won arguments in every single one. Live without fear.
Email: baxter@thepeoplesvoice.tv
Baxter Dmitry

10 Comments

  1. nah bullshit story..the fires were started from broken beer bottles in the bush from people camping…. the sun shine on them and did the magnifying glass burning ants thiungy like bart simpson and the other little git do… you can make a fire easy that way,,…..NOTHING TO SEE HERE FOLKS…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.