MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard used two agents who once lived in Australia to direct arson attacks against Jewish targets in Sydney and Melbourne, the head of Australia’s domestic spy agency said on Wednesday.
鈥淚ran continues to view Australia as a legitimate target for covertly directed acts of violence,鈥� Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), said.
Australia last year for fires that damaged Lewis鈥� Continental Kitchen, a kosher eatery in Sydney, and Melbourne鈥檚 two months apart in 2024.
A major diplomatic rift led to Iran鈥檚 ambassador being expelled. Tehran denies the allegations.
Burgess, presenting his annual update on national security threats, said that an Australian citizen based in Iran directed the Sydney firebombing, while a former Australian resident living in Iraq had directed the Melbourne attack.
He did not name the suspects to protect ongoing investigations and criminal prosecutions.
The Australian citizen was a Revolutionary Guard senior agent running its networks around the world, Burgess said.
Iran had recruited the former Australian resident through Iraqi-based militia groups. The Revolutionary Guard had valued his criminal connections and supported his continuing crimes, Burgess said.
鈥淭hat changed dramatically after ASIO publicly named Iran鈥檚 involvement in the arsons,鈥� Burgess said.
鈥淭his person鈥檚 Iranian backers lost their enthusiasm and after further pressure from Australian and local law enforcement, they threw him in prison,鈥� he added.
Burgess described the investigation into the Sydney and Melbourne attacks as 鈥渙ne of the most difficult and detailed in recent ASIO history.鈥�
He had previously said that the Revolutionary Guard was suspected as being behind other antisemitic crimes in Australia since the start of Israel鈥檚 war against Hamas in 2023.
Several people are facing in connection with the arson attacks. It remains unclear whether they were aware who they were working for.
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