Australia accuses Iran of directing antisemitic attacks on cafe and synagogue
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman added the decision to expel their envoy was «driven by Australia’s domestic policies».
However, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) chief Mike Burgess said his teams had uncovered links «between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC», following a «painstaking», months-long investigation.
«They’re just using cut-outs, including people who are criminals and members of organised crime gangs to do their bidding or direct their bidding,» Mr Burgess told reporters.
He added that IRGC had «used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement» in the attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney on 20 October, and Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue on 6 December.
Australia’s intelligence services had also found evidence Iran was likely to be behind other antisemitic incidents in Australia, which has seen attacks on Jewish schools, homes, vehicles and synagogues since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, Iran’s ally, and the ensuing war in Gaza.
In the same period of time, civil society group the Islamophobic Register has also recorded a rise in Islamophobic incidents.
Police first indicated they were looking into the possibility that attacks on Jewish-linked property were being directed by «overseas actors or individuals» back in January.
The findings revealed on Tuesday were «deeply disturbing», Albanese said, describing the two incidents as «extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression».
In the second incident, a number of worshippers were forced to flee as the fire took hold of the synagogue, which was built by Holocaust survivors in the 1960s.
However, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) chief Mike Burgess said his teams had uncovered links «between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC», following a «painstaking», months-long investigation.
«They’re just using cut-outs, including people who are criminals and members of organised crime gangs to do their bidding or direct their bidding,» Mr Burgess told reporters.
He added that IRGC had «used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement» in the attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney on 20 October, and Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue on 6 December.
Australia’s intelligence services had also found evidence Iran was likely to be behind other antisemitic incidents in Australia, which has seen attacks on Jewish schools, homes, vehicles and synagogues since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, Iran’s ally, and the ensuing war in Gaza.
In the same period of time, civil society group the Islamophobic Register has also recorded a rise in Islamophobic incidents.
Police first indicated they were looking into the possibility that attacks on Jewish-linked property were being directed by «overseas actors or individuals» back in January.
The findings revealed on Tuesday were «deeply disturbing», Albanese said, describing the two incidents as «extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression».
In the second incident, a number of worshippers were forced to flee as the fire took hold of the synagogue, which was built by Holocaust survivors in the 1960s.
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