US influencer Johnny Somali’s arrest in Japan shows lengths people go to be ‘famous’

Ramsey Khalid Ismael, who goes by the screen name Johnny Somali, was arrested in Japan over a series of provocative stunts that sparked public outrage

There are concerns his case could encourage others to perform similar stunts and mischief in an effort to become famous

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US live-streamer Johnny Somali was recently arrested in Japan over a series of online stunts. Photo: Twitter @g_menguts_ch

Published: 7:00am, 27 Sep 2023Updated: 8:08am, 27 Sep 2023

Following Japan’s arrest of an American influencer who carried out a series of provocative stunts that triggered public outrage, there are concerns such cases could encourage others to commit mischief in an effort to become “famous” online.

Ramsey Khalid Ismael, a 23-year-old who goes by the screen name Johnny Somali, was arrested in late August after allegedly breaking into a construction site in Osaka.

Local police said Ismael was formally charged with trespassing on September 21. The next day, another American, believed to be the cameraman and identified as Jeremiah Dwane Branch, was also charged.

The two had been travelling around Japan for more than a month and sharing videos on the live-streaming website Kick, although the Johnny Somali page appears to have been deactivated since his arrest.

My worry is that his actions are going to attract a lot of attention among other people and encourage them to do something similar to be ‘famous’

Makoto Watanabe, media communications professor

Previous clips had shown Ismael entering a truck belonging to a private delivery firm, dancing on a rush-hour commuter train, and walking around Tokyo Disneyland shouting “Fukushima! Atomic bomb! Shinzo Abe!”. Ismael was also filmed on a train telling Japanese people that “we’re going to drop another atomic bomb”.

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