Singapore/Bali: An Australian tourist caught on video in a wild brawl outside a Bali beach club has been paraded in prison orange by Indonesian authorities and marched back to detention, where he will remain indefinitely.
Mohamed Rifai, from south-west Sydney, faces up to five years in jail for his role in the February 11 all-in brawl outside the popular Finns Club in Canggu. But a more complex picture was emerging, and the 27-year-old was not the only one in trouble.
Sydney man Mohamed Rifai being led to a press conference in Bali on Thursday. Credit: Amilia Rosa
On Thursday Bali police also paraded eight security guards alleged to have acted outside the bounds of their job. They face even longer sentences of 5½ years if found guilty.
The nine men were lined up next to each other, their backs turned to the assembled media, behind Bali police chief Daniel Aditya Jaya and other officials.
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That the police chief would lead the press conference personally spoke to the seriousness with which the local government and police viewed the case.
Video of the fight showed the involvement of several shirtless Australian tourists. One could be seen hitting a bouncer with what appeared to be a bollard. Despite the numbers, Rifai was the only one accused by the security guards in their witness reports.
Police said one of Rifai’s group, a man identified as John Ebid, then filed a report against 15 bouncers alleging he had been choked, punched and stepped on. Investigators who reviewed the CCTV footage concluded eight of them should also be detained.
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