news, federal-politics

The man who allegedly exploded a carload of gas cylinders outside the Australian Christian Lobby's Canberra offices last year was attempting to kill himself and was not targeting the activist group, police said on Tuesday. Tenants had to vacate the Deakin office building after the explosion involving four nine kilogram gas cylinders in a van on the night of December 21, but police have been unable to lay charges due to the man's ongoing treatment for serious burns and a mental health condition. Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin told Senate estimates hearings police had ruled out any political or ideological motivation for the explosion during an initial interview before the man's condition deteriorated. He said the man was trying to kill himself and had not been motivated by ACL activities or political messages, including their high profile opposition to same-sex marriage laws in Australia. Australian Christian Lobby boss Lyle Shelton has repeatedly questioned the conclusions reached by police. The man was flown to Sydney for treatment a day after walking five kilometres to Canberra Hospital in the wake of the explosion and has so far been unable to participate in further police interviews. "We do not believe that his motivations on the night were driven by any particular ideology... his primary motive was quite different," Commissioner Colvin said. "We believe that mental illness was playing a considerable factor here and his primary motivation was to commit suicide. "We don't believe his primary motivation was driven to make any particular message or send any signal about the Australian Christian Lobby. We do believe he knew that it was the Australian Christian Lobby [offices] but he was not driven by a motivation or an ideology based on anything that the Christian Lobby had done or said." Victorian senator Derryn Hinch said he had been told the man's motive was to self-immolate and suggested some people within the ACL were "fairly keen on being martyrs to the cause that didn't exist". Commissioner Colvin said there were no ongoing threats to the organisation. Mr Shelton again appeared to dispute the evidence on Tuesday night. "Can't believe what I've just heard from the AFP in Senate Estimates," he wrote on Twitter. "The alleged bomber knew he was targeting our office." Follow us on Facebook

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