Hussain Hazbavi 
Australia’s intelligence agency has revealed that the December 2024 arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue was funded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, though the young men accused of carrying it out may not have known who was behind the operation.
ASIO chief Mike Burgess said on Tuesday that Tehran relied on intermediaries to distance itself from the attack.
“They’re using cut-outs, including criminals and members of organized crime gangs, to do their bidding,” Burgess told reporters.
The attack targeted the Adass Israel synagogue on December 6. Younes Ali Younes, 20, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with car theft and arson. He did not apply for bail or enter a plea. Another suspect, 21-year-old Giovanni Laulu, faced the same charges last month.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that investigators traced a “supply chain” of payments from local criminal groups back to Tehran.
“Security forces have done extraordinary work to expose how the Iranian regime was channeling funds through criminal elements,” he told ABC.
According to Sky News, Israeli intelligence provided a crucial tip that helped ASIO connect the dots during the investigation.
