A 64-year-old man from Toorloo Arm has been charged under AFP Special Operation Avalite for allegedly making offensive antisemitic comments during phone calls to a political organisation.
The man was charged on 5 February 2025 with one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The AFP alleges the man called the Canberra office of a political organisation twice on 21 January 2025, making antisemitic and abusive statements.
AFP Special Operation Avalite investigators, with support from Victoria Police, arrested the man following a vehicle stop in Lakes Entrance this morning. A search warrant was executed, and his mobile phone was seized for forensic examination.
He was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear before Bairnsdale Magistrates Court on 26 March 2025.
AFP Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt condemned the alleged actions, stating Special Operation Avalite was dedicated to protecting Australians from targeted threats.
“It is abhorrent that parliamentarians and members of our community are being targeted and threatened because of their race or religious views,” he said.
“The experienced investigators and analysts working under Special Operation Avalite have a number of individuals under investigation, and the community should expect further charges.
“If you engage in antisemitic conduct, you will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Special Operation Avalite, a dedicated AFP unit of counter-terrorism officers and analysts, continues to investigate and act against individuals involved in:
- Urging violence against members of groups
- Advocating terrorism or genocide
- Using a carriage service to menace, harass, or make threats
- Unlawfully displaying prohibited symbols
- Doxxing individuals or groups
The AFP encourages the public to report any threats or extremist behaviour to authorities.
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