Australia on Wednesday is investigating whether overseas actors are funding anti-Semitic activities in the nation. File Photo by Glenn Campbell/EPA-EFE
Jan. 22 (UPI) — The Australian Federal Police said it has opened an investigation on Wednesday to determine if local criminals are being paid by “overseas actors of individuals” to commit anti-Semitic acts there.
An AFP task force created in December reported more than 166 anti-Semitic-linked crimes in that month in Australia. A childcare center was attacked with anti-Semitic graffiti earlier along with other incidents, sparking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call an emergency cabinet meeting.
“We are looking into whether any young people are involved in carrying out some of these crimes, and if they have been radicalized online and encouraged to commit anti-Semitic acts,” AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said in a statement.
“Regardless, it all points to the same motivation: demonizing and intimidating the Jewish community. Intelligence is not the same as evidence. We are building evidence, and I want to reiterate, that more charges are expected soon by the AFP.”
The AFP said a special operation, dubbed Avalite, is investigating 15 serious allegations among the crimes it has uncovered.
“All lines of inquiry are being open to investigations, including what anonymizing technology, such as dedicated encrypted communication devices, have been used to commit these crimes,” Kershaw said.
Cryptocurrency may have been used to pay off the suspects and those exchanges may be harder to track down, Kershaw said.
The Jewish Council of Australia called for help and continued discussions to combat anti-Semitism there.
“These acts underscore the urgent need for cooperation, education, and community dialogue to combat prejudice and promote understanding [it],” the council said.
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