'Criminals for hire' may be behind string of antisemitic attacks in Australia
Australia's top police officer has provided further detail about why authorities remain concerned foreign actors are paying criminals to commit a string of antisemitic acts across the country.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said he believed "criminals for hire" may be behind some of the recent anti-Jewish attacks, including a childcare centre that was torched and graffitied in Maroubra.
"These investigative lines of inquiry are looking at whether some individuals have been paid to carry out some antisemitic acts in Australia," Kershaw said today.
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AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the force believed criminals for hire may be behind the attacks. 9News
"We believe criminals for hire may be behind some incidents. So part of our inquiries include who is paying those criminals."
The statement came after Kershaw yesterday revealed the AFP was looking into whether local criminals were being funded with cryptocurrency by overseas actors.
Today, he said it was unknown if the criminals were offshore or in Australia and police were investigating motivation.
He said perpetrators were using "anonymising technology" and that 70 per cent of criminals targeting Australia were offshore.
"Part of our inquiries include, who is paying those criminals? Where those people are," Kershaw added.
"There is still a lot of investigative work to be done and we are not ready to rule anything in or out."
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A childcare centre was set alight and graffitied with an antisemitic message. Nine
Kershaw explained the AFP is being transparent with the status of its investigation so the public and Jewish communities know how seriously the force is taking it.
"As police commissioner, I have always been committed to sharing information with the public when I can and, in my view, on this issue, providing information is not only a deterrent, but also keeps the public informed on matters that are very personal," he said.
Kershaw's remarks followed the Coalition's demand earlier today to know details behind intelligence that foreign actors were behind some of the crimes.
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Peter Dutton today demanded more details on the AFP's investigation into antisemitic attacks. 9News
"The prime minister needs to be honest here… are these state actors, are they organised crime groups, or are they anti-Semitic groups?" Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said this morning.
"Frankly it shines a spotlight on the fact the Commonwealth government should have deployed resources much earlier."
Anthony Albanese responded to Dutton's criticism, saying the opposition leader should "know better" than to pressure intelligence agencies for more details.
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