Australian police say anti-Semitic crimes may be funded overseas

The Australian Federal Police said it was investigating whether criminals were being paid by “foreign actors or individuals” to commit anti-Semitic crimes in the country.

There has been a spate of such incidents in recent months, the latest of which led to the burning of a Sydney kindergarten and the spraying of anti-Jewish graffiti. No one was hurt.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by calling an emergency cabinet meeting where officials agreed to create a national database to track anti-Semitic incidents.

So far, a federal police task force set up in December to investigate such incidents has received more than 166 reports of anti-Semitic crimes.

“We are investigating whether foreign entities or individuals paid local criminals in Australia to commit some of these crimes in our suburbs,” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Rhys Kershaw said, adding that it was possible cryptocurrency was involved.

It may take longer to identify the digital currency, Mr. Kershaw said.

The commissioner said police are also investigating whether the youths committed the crimes and whether they were radicalized online.

However, Mr Kershaw warned that “intelligence is not the same as evidence” and more charges were expected soon.

Last week, a Sydney man became the first person to be charged with making death threats against a Jewish organization by a federal task force dubbed Special Operation Ovalit.

Albanese said Tuesday’s incident at a children’s center in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Maroubra was “as cowardly as it is disgusting” and called it a “hate crime”.

“It was an attack aimed at the Jewish community. And this is a crime that concerns all of us, because it is also an attack on the nation and the society that we have built together,” he wrote on social media.

The Jewish Council of Australia, which was set up last year to fight anti-Semitism, said it “strongly condemns” this and all similar incidents.

“These actions highlight the urgent need for cooperation, education and public dialogue to combat prejudice and promote understanding,” the statement said.

Most of the recent incidents took place in Sydney and included anti-Semitic graffiti, arson and vandalism of buildings, including synagogues.

New South Wales has set up its own state-level taskforce to look into these incidents, and so far 36 people have been charged with anti-Semitic offences.

Another 70 people were arrested for similar offenses in the neighboring state of Victoria the synagogue was set on fire last month.