The latest attack was on the day care in Sydney, which was reported early Tuesday. In a statement Tuesday, the head of Australia’s federal police said that his agency was investigating whether “overseas actors or individuals” had paid locals in Australia to carry out some of these acts. But he did not give evidence or further details.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated that investigators were looking into the possibility that some of the perpetrators had acted out of financial incentives rather than ideological motivations.
“Now, it’s unclear who or where the payments are coming from,” he said.
The specter of foreign involvement has added a new dimension to the anxiety that has been brewing in Australia’s small but deep-rooted Jewish community. The police have not said whether, or how, the more than half a dozen attacks since October are related.
In December, the Australian Federal Police set up a task force to investigate violence and threats against the Jewish community. The state police in New South Wales, where most of the attacks have taken place in the greater Sydney area, said they have arrested and charged nine individuals in relation to the crimes.
