"Catch Them Until the End" 10x Reward for 40-Year-Old Terrorism Case

Australian Law Applies No Statute of Limitations to Serious Crimes Except Misdemeanors
1982 Sydney Israel Consulate and Jewish Sports Club Terror Attacks Still Under Investigation

Suspect composite sketch of the 1982 Sydney Israeli Consulate terrorist attack
Photo by NSW Police · Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Regarding the long-unsolved terrorist incident that occurred in Sydney, Australia in 1982, the Australian police have increased the reward tenfold in their search for the culprit.

According to local media such as The Australian on the 5th, the New South Wales (NSW) police stated that they are still investigating the terrorist incident that happened in Sydney 40 years ago and announced that the reward for anyone providing information that can solve the case will be raised from 100,000 Australian dollars (about 88 million KRW) to 1 million Australian dollars (about 880 million KRW).

On December 23, 1982, around 2 p.m., a bomb exploded in front of the Israeli consulate on William Street in Sydney, injuring some people. Four hours later, a car exploded in the underground parking lot of a Jewish sports club at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Fortunately, the building did not collapse, so there were no fatalities.

At the time, the Australian police classified the incident as an international terrorist act linked to pro-Palestinian organizations. They also arrested one male suspect but did not indict him. Ultimately, the case remained unsolved for a long time. In 2011, the NSW Joint Counter-Terrorism Team reinvestigated the case and offered a reward of 100,000 Australian dollars, releasing composite sketches of three suspects. However, as the case remained unresolved, they increased the reward after 10 years to encourage public tips.

Mark Walton, Deputy Commissioner of NSW Police Counter-Terrorism, welcomed the reward increase, saying, "We hope this decision will help solve the 40-year-old mystery." Paul Toole, Deputy Premier and NSW Police Minister, emphasized that the police are fully committed to solving the crime and urged, "Please provide any small information so the police can close the case."

Meanwhile, in Australia, most state governments including NSW do not apply statutes of limitations to serious crimes except minor offenses. In other words, they pursue the culprit regardless of the time elapsed. As a result, suspects have sometimes been prosecuted and punished for crimes committed 40 to 50 years ago.

The Australian legal community holds the view that no matter how old the case is, if evidence proving guilt remains, the perpetrator must be held accountable.

One such case is that of Rolf Harris, once Australia's most famous entertainer. Harris, who was also known as the face of an Australian paint commercial, symbolized Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on TV frequently. However, he was sentenced in 2014 to 5 years and 9 months in prison for sexually assaulting four minors during the 1970s and 1980s, bringing an end to his glamorous entertainment career.