SBS reporter sacked for his offensive ANZAC Day tweets is arrested and locked-up in Japan for illegal entry while searching for his children
- Journalist Scott McIntyre has been locked up in a Japan jail for illegal entry
- He was reportedly looking for his children when he was arrested and detained
- He is being held in a Japanese jail where he can only shower once every 5 days
An Australian journalist has been locked up in a foreign jail for illegally entering the country to look for his school-age children.
Former SBS sports reporter Scott McIntyre will has spent the past three in a Japan prison cell after being arrested in Western Tokyo on 28 November.
The 45-year-old was arrested after reportedly entering a Tokyo apartment building where his parents-in-law live to find out the whereabouts of his two children the Guardian reports.
It’s understood he hasn’t seen the school-aged children since May.
McIntyre was arrested for illegal entry when he allegedly followed another resident through a building’s main doors and into the communal area.
Former SBS journalist Scott McIntyre (pictured) is being detained in a Japanese jail after allegedly trying to find his children
McIntyre was living in Tokyo at the time of his arrest, according to the Guardian.
His social media accounts have been silent since November 25 where his last post was a congratulatory message to the Saudi Arabian Al Hilal Football club for a Champion’s League win in the Asian soccer competition.
The cell where the reporter is being held is lit 24 hours a day and conditions are tough, with access to shower facilities allowed only once every five days.
A friend in Tokyo, Catherine Henderson, told the Guardian he’s having trouble sleeping,
‘He knows how serious this is and he knows it’s not good,’ she said
Former SBS journalist Scott McIntyre was fired by SBS in 2015 over comments he made on Twitter about ANZAC Day
The freelance reporter worked for the SBS until he was fired in 2015 over controversial tweets about ANZAC Day.
McIntyre used ANZAC Day as an opportunity to voice his views on the day of commemoration- referring to the public holiday as the ‘cultification [sic] of an imperialist invasion’.
‘Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these brave Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan,’ he said.
Japanese police can legally detain anyone suspected of having committed a crime in Japan for 23 days without charge.
There’s been a groundswell of support on social media for the release of McIntyre, with many criticising the arrest as an abduction and perversion of human rights.
The Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.