Burgertory Caufield fire: Cops reveal why investigation into alleged arson attack at burger store that sparked a near-riot between rival groups has ‘stalled’

An investigation into an alleged arson at a popular burger joint has ‘stalled’, with police saying there is no evidence it was racially motivated and the owner has yet to make a statement.

Victoria’s chief constable, Shane Patton, revealed in an ABC Radio interview that investigators are no closer to finding a motivation behind the attack that burned the Burgertory restaurant in Caulfield, Melbourne, to the ground on November 10.

Burgertory’s CEO Hash Tayeh, 32, had previously speculated that the crime must have been politically motivated due to his strong pro-Palestinian stance.

Mr Tayeh, a Palestinian-Australian, has moved his family to a safe house since the attack, which was reportedly followed by violent threats against him.

But the threats have not yet been substantiated; the police say that the entrepreneur has not yet officially reported it.

Commander Patton said the investigation into the fire is ongoing.

‘The investigation is currently very active. “We are being briefed by the investigators and so I’m not going to go into detail other than to say there is nothing to indicate it is a bias-motivated crime,” he said.

The commissioner also said his department is “very happy” to investigate any threats of violence Mr. Tayeh has received if he chooses to report them.

“We are happy to investigate any allegations of threats. But we will only do that if we receive a statement from someone. We invited Mr. Tayeh to come in. That didn’t happen for whatever reason,” Mr Patton said.

One person has so far been investigated in relation to the threats against Mr Tayeh, which began when he was filmed leading a march at a pro-Palestinian rally in Melbourne’s CBD three weeks ago.

The local celebrity was quickly recognized as the man behind a megaphone singing, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Some interpret the rallying cry as anti-Semitic because it essentially calls for the abolition of Israel by expanding the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the weeks that followed, Mr Tayeh wrote an open letter to Melbourne’s Jewish community clarifying his position as he continued to appear at Palestinian rallies.

Last Friday, two hooded figures were caught on CCTV appearing to set fire to his restaurant before fleeing in a car.

Mr Tayeh had already claimed that his staff were threatened by selected customers, telling them they were working ‘for a terrorist’.

Police quickly cordoned off the area but were unable to quell community tensions when pro-Palestinian activists appeared near the site.

Dual protests were organized by both Israeli and Palestinian supporters and despite Mr Tayeh’s pleas for activists to stay home, 400 people showed up, with some participants having to be separated by police after physical clashes.

A nearby synagogue was evacuated when the group got too close, with Jewish attendees told to leave for their own safety.

Since going into hiding, Mr Tayeh’s lawyer says his client is ‘very concerned about the lack of communication and support from the police’.

‘He has not yet been contacted by police despite his continued contact with them. The investigating police have not yet filed a request for the threats made against him, despite his lawyers having contacted them,” said lawyer Moustafa Kheir. said De Eeuw.

Mr Kheir claimed it was the police who dropped the investigation because they had not inquired about the threats Mr Tayeh had received.

While Mr Patton confirmed that his team has not yet linked the arson to any racist motivation, Mr Tayeh has remained fervent in his belief that it was a hate crime.

“You could excuse Mr. Tayeh if he believed there was a connection between the threats he received and the burning of his business,” his lawyer said.

Despite Mr Kheir’s statement insisting police had not contacted his client, Mr Patton said detectives from Moorabbin’s crime investigation unit had spoken to him on Wednesday.

The investigation into the case continues.

a GoFundMe has since also been launched on behalf of Mr Tayeh, who hopes to fund the rebuilding of the now-destroyed Caulfield restaurant.

More than $60,000 of the $300,000 it will cost to repair the building has been raised in the six days since it started.

The fundraiser has generated a mix of positive and negative responses towards Mr Tayeh from those who donated.

“From the ‘river to the sea’ is a chant of genocide to destroy the Jewish state of Israel and is a hateful jihadist ideology,” wrote one person who donated $5.

“Hash experienced a hate crime, plain and simple. You deserve to speak out and protest the genocide in Palestine without having to worry about your livelihood and the livelihood of your staff being threatened by psychopathic degenerates,” wrote another, after he donated $100.