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NSW Police Probe Letter Urging Australia Day Violence Sent to Lakemba Mosque

Authorities have boosted Australia Day policing after federal and community leaders condemned the letter.

Overview

  • The four-page letter, delivered by post to Lakemba Mosque on January 22, allegedly calls for coordinated violence including murder and kidnapping.
  • Targets named in the correspondence include Middle Eastern communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and several political figures.
  • NSW Police, including counterterrorism officers, have opened an investigation and say there is no specific ongoing threat to the community.
  • Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden appealed for public assistance as forensics examine the document, with about 1,500 officers to be deployed across Sydney for Australia Day.
  • Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly issued a joint condemnation, community leaders reported rising Islamophobia since the Bondi attack, and renewed calls were made for religious vilification laws.