![]() ![]() ![]() "Controversy is key." He can say that, of course, because he lives in a nation with few police shootings and little tension over terrorism or crime. "We love the death threats," Arman boasts. Max swipes his away absently the other two don't even bother. Notifications and messages come as a constant stream. They shake my hand in turn and then ceremoniously lay their phones on the table in front of them. The youngest one has the best moustache I've ever seen on a 16-year-old and is eagerly trying on adulthood for size. ![]() He laps up female compliments on his Instagram selfies. Max is the most striking, in black jeans and T-shirt. They're late – traffic was bad when they picked up the 16-year-old, the youngest, up from school. I've arranged to meet the trio at Epping Plaza in Melbourne's northern suburbs, in a bright cafe on a promontory surrounded by acres of cars. Their natural mix of good looks, chutzpah, and orchestrated self-promotion don't hurt. Their tools: three iPhones, three Arab white thawb robes, three fake Osama-esque beards, and one empty black bag. Companies are offering up to $100,000 for embedded advertising. If Max and Arman Jalal and their 16-year-old co-accused can stay out of jail, they may well get rich from social media, with an estimated $4500 earning from each short video they post. In just two months, they have become more famous than any other Australian social media comedians, with almost 2 million Facebook likes and 150 million views of their controversial bomb pranks. The Jalals' rise to infamy has been dizzyingly swift. They are on strict bail conditions preventing them uploading similar videos after being charged with public nuisance, possessing a prohibited weapon and behaving in an offensive manner in a public place. Max (front) and Arman Jalal with their 16-year-old co-accused. The Jalals' fans are overwhelmingly young – and their haters middle-aged or older. How you respond is a good predictor of your age. And for the millions of us watching safely on our screens, it's either darkly hilarious – or utterly thoughtless and cruel. The tradie bounds into a lake, a basketballer flees in panic, kids plummet into the sea, drivers abandon their cars and run for their lives. He throws it at basketballers, kids playing on wharves, tradies on a lunch break, at a man descending an escalator. He throws it over the door of a closed toilet cubicle. He tosses it into donut shops, car windows, the open doors of a lift. In earlier clips, a man in Arab dress and beard appears, toting a suspicious bag. The man bolts, leaving his terrified daughter in his wake. The sound of tinny gunshots echo through the car's speakers. One lifts an AK-47 rifle and takes aim at a man and his young daughter using a payphone, causing them to flee. Three men in Arab dress cruise slowly down the street in a 4WD. You've most likely seen one of the Jalals' viral videos on your Facebook news feed. ![]()
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