Story perspectives

ASIO Blames Iranian Operatives for Bondi Firebombing, Synagogue Attack

6/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess warned that antisemitism now overlaps with interference, espionage and cyber sabotage.
He said Iranian-linked operatives carried out the 2024 Bondi firebombing and Melbourne synagogue attack.
He identified an Iran-based Australian citizen as the agent behind the firebombing and an Iraq-resident as the synagogue attack leader.
He noted ASIO has doubled its staff, foiled 31 plots since 2014 and created teams to counter cyber sabotage of infrastructure.

History

Historical Context

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam appointed Justice Robert Hope to lead the 1974 Royal Commission, which exposed gaps in ASIO and prompted the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act of 1979. Decades later, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess warned in 2024 that Iranian-linked operatives were behind the Bondi firebombing and Melbourne synagogue attack, underscoring enduring foreign-interference concerns.

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Story summary

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess warned that antisemitism now overlaps with interference, espionage and cyber sabotage.
He said Iranian-linked operatives carried out the 2024 Bondi firebombing and Melbourne synagogue attack.
He identified an Iran-based Australian citizen as the agent behind the firebombing and an Iraq-resident as the synagogue attack leader.
He noted ASIO has doubled its staff, foiled 31 plots since 2014 and created teams to counter cyber sabotage of infrastructure.

1 / 2