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 attack at a popular burger outlet has 'stalled', with police saying there is no evidence it was racially motivated and the owner yet to provide a statement. 

Victoria's Chief Commissioner, Shane Patton, revealed in an ABC Radio interview that investigators are no closer to finding a motivation behind the attack which saw the Burgertory restaurant in Caulfield, Melbourne, burnt to the ground on November 10. 

Burgertory's CEO Hash Tayeh, 32, had previously speculated 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 allegedly followed by violent threats towards him. 

But the threats have not yet been substantiated with police saying the entrepreneur has yet to officially report them. 

Cmsr Patton said investigations into the fire are ongoing. 

'The investigation is a very active one at the moment. We are informed by the investigators and so I’m not going to go in any great detail other than there is nothing to suggest it is a prejudice-motivated crime,' he said.

The commissioner also said that his department is 'very happy' to look into any threats of violence that Mr Tayeh has received if he would like to report them.

'We're happy to investigate any and all allegations of any threats. But we don’t do so until we get a statement from someone. We’ve invited Mr Tayeh to come in. That hasn’t occurred, for whatever reason,' Mr Patton said. 

So far one person has been investigated in regards to 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 recognised as the man behind a megaphone chanting: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' 

Some interpret the rallying cry as anti-Semitic, as it effectively calls for the abolishment of Israel by extending the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the weeks since, Mr Tayeh penned an open letter to Melbourne's Jewish community clarifying his stance while continuing 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 being threatened by select customers and told that they were working 'for a terrorist'.

Police quickly cordoned off the area but were unable to quell community tension when pro-Palestinian activists began appearing near the location.

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

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

Since going into hiding Mr Tayeh's lawyer has said that his client is 'very concerned by the lack of communication and support from police'.

'He is yet to be contacted by police despite his continual reach out to them. The investigating police are yet to request the threats made to him despite his lawyers reaching out to them,' lawyer Moustafa Kheir told The Age. 

Mr Kheir claimed that it was the police who had stalled the investigation as they had not inquired about the threats that Mr Tayeh had received. 

Although Mr Patton confirmed that his team is yet to link the arson attack to any racial motivation, Mr Tayeh has remained ardent in his belief that it was a hate crime.

'One would excuse Mr Tayeh for believing there was a connection between the threats he was receiving and [the] torching of his business,' his lawyer said. 

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

Investigations into the matter continue. 

A GoFundMe has also since been launched on behalf of Mr Tayeh which hopes to fund the reconstruction of the now-destroyed Caulfield restaurant.  

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

The fundraiser has attracted a mix of positive and negative comments towards Mr Tayeh from those who have 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,' one person who donated $5 wrote. 

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