Terror listing for group behind synagogue attack
Australia has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism for attacks against the Jewish community aimed at “undermining and sowing division”.
The Albanian government announced the move on Thursday in response to the union setting fire to a delicatessen in Sydney in October 2024 and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December.
Labor condemned the “cowardly” attacks on Australian soil and the government said they were designed to “undermine and sow division in our multicultural society, targeting Australian Jews to cause harm and instill fear”.
In August, the government expelled the Iranian ambassador over intelligence showing that the Iranian group was linked to anti-Semitic attacks through criminal proxies.
Under the new framework that allows the government to intervene against state-sponsored terrorism, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was first on the list.
Associations with the group are now criminalized and violators can face up to 25 years in prison.
Home Secretary Tony Burke’s decision was based on advice from the country’s intelligence and security agencies.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Iran’s attacks were “unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression”.
“It has no place in Australia,” he said.
Mr Burke said the listing gave Australian institutions even more power to stamp out hate.
“The Australian government is committed to keeping Australians safe and restricting the activities of extremists in our country, regardless of their origins,” he said.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said legal reforms introduced by Labor “make it more difficult, riskier and more costly for malicious foreign actors to seek to harm Australia and our society”.
Australian Zionist Federation President Jeremy Leibler said the attacks were trying to damage the fabric of Australian society.
“What has been revealed regarding Iran has revealed our deepest fears and suspicions that we are not immune to violence from foreign actors,” he said.
“Listing the IRGC is a necessary step to ensure terrorism does not take place on Australian soil.”
