Australian police have arrested a 39-year-old man after he drove his car into the front gate of the Russian consulate in Sydney, according to police and local media.
In a statement, the New South Wales Police Force said the crash took place shortly after 8am on Monday (22:00 GMT on Sunday) after officers responded to reports of an “unauthorised vehicle” parked in the driveway of the consulate in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra.
Officers tried to speak with the driver, but he “drove his vehicle into the gates of the property”, the statement said.
A 24-year-old constable was injured on his hand during the incident, it said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
Television footage from Sky News and Nine showed a car with a smashed window abandoned next to a Russian flagpole.
Pictures on ABC also showed damage to the passenger and driver side windows of the vehicle, with police believed to have used their batons to try to get into the car. The network added that staff at the Russian consulate remained inside the building and that the car had been towed from the grounds by mid-morning.
People who had gathered at the consulate for visa appointments told the Reuters news agency that the consulate closed briefly in the morning before opening again.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian diplomatic mission.
