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A man arrested after crashing into the Russian consulate of Sydney

On Monday, a man drove his car through the gates of the Russian Consulate in Sydney, Australia. Police said that the suspect had been arrested and charged for offences such as destroying property and having a knife.

On a video taken by an eyewitness, the police shouted: "Get out now!" A man was in a vehicle parked in the grounds of the consulate, in Sydney's suburb Woollahra.

New South Wales Police reported that officers responded to an assistance request from the consulate. They tried to speak to a driver in a vehicle in front of the building who then accelerated into the front door.

First, the consulate reported a vehicle parked in front of its building. The police were informed that the driver had entered the grounds and jumped over the fence before returning to the vehicle.

The neighbour who saw the incident reported that the car forced its way through the gate after the driver had been instructed to get out.

The policemen kept asking him to get out. He did not get out of his car. The neighbour, who declined to reveal his name, said that they had drawn their guns.

It was quite dramatic for a Monday morning.

On the grounds of the consulate, a white SUV with a broken window was later abandoned. A flatbed came to take it away.

Police said that the 39-year old man was arrested, and then charged with charges such as using an offensive weapon in order to prevent police investigations, destruction of property, resisting officers, and possession of a blade in a public area.

Two police officers suffered minor injuries. The man was denied bail.

The person who answered the phone at the consulate refused to comment about the incident.

Tim Enright, who was working on the roof of an adjacent building, saw a policeman taking pictures of a car that was parked close to the consulate at around 8 am. He then said that he heard sirens, and a helicopter was on the scene.

The consulate briefly closed and then reopened.

The Australian Federal Police stated that there was no imminent or current threat to the consulate, or the local community. Reporting by Kirstyn Needham in Sydney, writing by Alasdair pal, and editing by Kim Coghill; Tom Hogue; Saad Sayeed; Peter Graff

(source: Reuters)