EXCLUSIVE
A South Sudanese child soldier turned Australian of the Year has posted a series of alarming social media posts appearing to celebrate the LA bushfires, calling for the destruction of the United States and voicing support for Hamas.
Deng Adut, 41, was crowned NSW Australian of the Year in 2017 in recognition of his work as a lawyer in Western Sydney after fleeing his war-torn homeland, where he was taken from his mother and given an aging AK 47 handed from six.
But Mr Adut has alarmed his followers in recent weeks with a series of increasingly rambling and incoherent posts in which he has taken aim at Israel, Australian politicians, Ukraine and the US, calling them “diseases to humanity”.
He has even suggested he could defeat Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in a ‘hand-to-hand fight’.
“My tongue is not worthy of dogs, fuck them,” he seethed.
A special post shared Thursday appears to celebrate the ongoing wildfires in LA, which have killed at least seven people and razed thousands of homes.
He branded the US and the United Arab Emirates as “merchants of death” and claimed: “We’re all going to die, so I’m not afraid of anything.”
He added: “American weapons are diseases of humanity.
Deng Adut (pictured), 41, was crowned NSW Australian of the Year in 2017 in recognition of his work as a lawyer in Western Sydney after fleeing his war-torn homeland, where he was torn from his mother and given an AK -47 handed over at the age of six
A special post shared on Thursday appears to celebrate the ongoing wildfires in LA
The devastating fires have so far claimed seven lives and leveled the homes of thousands of people (photo: Flames engulf a home in Pasadena, north of LA)
‘I’m glad the weather forecast is hell for you. I hope you burn. Burning children in Gaza. Why shouldn’t I celebrate the fact that you were burned by fire! Free speech!’
He has often claimed that “time is up” for the US and newly elected President Donald Trump.
“I’m ready to die, now leave Africa alone you stupid,” says a recent post.
“Whatever you’ve done will come back to you.”
Last year, he declared in a post that “Israel must leave” and expressed support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
‘No time to kill, and enough is enough. REFUGEES MUST KILL INDIGENOUS PEOPLE,” he wrote.
He added: “I am now a pro-Russian and Hamas member until the day I die. Jews are safe forever, but not people who want to kill people. I am now HAMAS’.
In another post, he railed against Germany and Ukraine, adding: “Australia doesn’t respect me so I don’t care.”
At the height of civil conflict in South Sudan in the late 1980s, Mr Adut (pictured in recent years) was taken from his mother and handed an AK-47.
His life story was turned into a bestselling biography in 2016 (photo: shaking hands with then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull)
In response to someone who asked if he was okay, he claimed to ‘speak for the voiceless’ before launching into a tirade about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured)
Last year, he declared in a post that “Israel must leave” and expressed support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization (photo)
In response to someone asking if he was okay, he claimed to “speak for the voiceless.”
“The little white boy in the House of Representatives was given a vote to protect Jews, but not First Nation people,” he wrote.
“Do you think the little Prime Minister and the racist Dutton can do a hand-to-hand fight with me?
‘Unfortunately not! My tongue is not worthy of dogs. F*** them.. mate, these dogs need a doctor.”
In a subsequent response, he claimed he would not “bow to a genocide.”
“I am capable of worse things than genocide,” he wrote.
‘Everyone will die. Why should I worry, brother? Not her!’
Mr Adut deleted his Facebook page after being approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment.
In another post, Mr Adut railed against Germany and Ukraine, adding: “Australia doesn’t respect me so I don’t care.”
In 2018, this publication revealed that Mr Adut had taken out an AVO against his ex-partner just months after the couple welcomed their first child.
It was later withdrawn and dismissed, with Mr Adut saying it was requested on a ‘time of great emotions’ and he ‘greatly regretted having done it’.
It is unclear whether the couple is still together.
During his inspiring journey from immigrant to qualified lawyer, Mr Adut was named the 2017 NSW Australian of the Year.
At the height of civil conflict in South Sudan in the late 1980s, Adut was taken from his mother and given an AK-47.
Along with thousands of other young boys, he became a child soldier until he finally managed to flee his homeland in 1995, hiding under bags of corn on the back of a truck.
After trekking through camps in Africa, he arrived in Australia in 1998 at the age of 14.
In 2018, this publication revealed that just months after the couple welcomed their first child, Mr Adut took out an AVO against his ex-partner (pictured)
Unable to mutter a word of English, he has previously spoken of watching children’s band The Wiggles to teach himself the new language.
He became an Australian citizen in 2001, during which time he had been sleeping in his car and working part-time jobs to survive.
That same year, Mr Adut accepted a scholarship to Western Sydney University and embarked on a TAFE course, subsequently obtaining a law degree.
He subsequently worked pro bono for many South Sudanese immigrants in Western Sydney.
He is co-founder and managing partner of the Australian Criminal Law Group, based in Sydney.
“Deng is one of only three criminal defense attorneys to have won the prestigious Law Society President’s Medal,” reads a profile on the firm’s website.
His life story was turned into a bestselling biography in 2016 called Songs of a War Boy.