An Australian Christian pro-life organization was hit by a car bomb on Wednesday.
The organization, the Australia Christian Lobby (ACL) located in Canberra, was damaged by a white van that exploded after a man ignited gas cylinders that were stored inside the vehicle. The 35-year-old man, who has not been identified, was the only one injured in the explosion since the building was empty. He is currently in a coma at a hospital with significant burns.
The police talked to the perpetrator briefly, and have ruled out a political motivation to the attack, but Lyle Shelton, the ACL’s managing director, thinks that there had to be some sort of political purpose to the attack.
“You don’t just drive around the corner here at 10 o’clock at night, park a van loaded with gas cylinders then detonate it unless you’re trying to send a message to the ACL,” Shelton said at a press conference. “I’m sure it’s a message to intimidate us, to cause us to be silent in the public square, and that’s something we’re not prepared to do.”
Shelton pointed out that the ACL has received numerous death threats and has been subject to far-left propaganda from members of parliament that have called the ACL “a hate group and bigots,” per Life News.
“We have received a number of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this year,” Shelton said. “This is an attack on free speech in Australia which I am deeply shocked about and never thought I would see in my lifetime.”
Shelton also argued that the circumstances were too coincidental for there not to be a political motivation.
“I’m sure it’s a message to intimidate us, to cause us to be silent in the public square, and that’s something we’re not prepared to do.”
Lyle Shelton, managing director of the pro-life Australia Christian Lobby
“Apparently he gave some statement when he was grievously injured last night and now he’s in a coma,” Shelton said. “I can’t see how you can say ‘case closed’ after a guy who is obviously suffering terribly has made certain statements where there hasn’t been an opportunity for a full interrogation of him. It’s a coincidence of gigantic proportions for this to be plausible and concluded so unequivocally, so quickly, to me just seems strange.”
Perhaps Shelton will be proven right as more details emerge.