Chilling mystery as police release extracts from 'Scorpio' author's more than 100 letters targeting MPs and public figures

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and NICK WILSON FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 05:06, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 05:06, 30 June 2026 A mystery menace who signed more than 100 letters with the nickname of a fictional serial killer from the Dirty Harry films has sparked a major police hunt. Australian Federal Police and NSW Police released excerpts of anonymous letters on Tuesday which were sent by a person using the aliases 'Scorpio' and 'Bullit'.  In the 1971 film Dirty Harry, Scorpio is the alias of a sadistic serial killer who terrorises San Francisco and taunts authorities with cryptic messages. The extracts are among more than 100 notes sent to parliamentarians, religious groups and community leaders from 2015 to 2026 and seized by police.  NSW Police Acting Superintendent John Walke said investigators believe the offender is of Caucasian appearance and in his 60s. The correspondence allegedly contains repeated references to the 'great white race', Aryan symbols and the 'Aryan nation', according to investigators. Some of the letters are alleged to contain threatening or harassing material and have been seized and subjected to forensic examination. The messages often included newspaper clippings featuring prominent people. Much of the content focused on national issues and matters of public interest.  Investigators released images showing examples of the distinctive handwriting featured in the letters sent by a mystery man who uses the nickname Scorpio or Bullit In the 1971 film Dirty Harry, Scorpio (played by actor Andrew Robinson) is the alias of a sadistic serial killer who terrorises San Francisco and taunts police with cryptic messages A mystery author is believed to be a Caucasian man in his 60s  AFP superintendent Nathan Robertson said authorities were worried about the letters. 'We have very real concerns about the content of these letters, and people in public life deserve to go about their jobs or careers without being subject to harassment or threats,' he said. In a bid to identify the writer, police released excerpts of several letters showcasing the author's distinctive handwriting. One example features a menacing smiley face with what appears to be impressions left by bullet casings for eyes above the signature 'Scorpio'. The author also used the name 'Bullit', which may reference Steve McQueen's character Frank Bullitt in the 1968 crime thriller.  The mystery writer also frequently capitalises the letters 'F', 'L', 'T', 'N' and 'H'.  'We are appealing to the community if they recognise any of the symbols or names in the letter excerpts and can relate them to someone of that profile to please let police know,' Supt Walke said.  On Friday, a WA court sentenced William James King to seven months in prison for social media threats to kill Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns 'We are determined to bring this person to account because their behaviour is certainly offensive and at times threatening, and people deserve to be able to go about their work without being subjected to threats.' Extremist expert and Deakin University associate professor Josh Roose said threats against public figures were rising across the board. 'The scale of the material that I'm seeing online is unprecedented,' he told AAP. While Australia has not experienced the same level of political violence seen in the US, for example, he said similar trends were developing in the digital realm. 'What we're seeing is men, in particular, who are highly politically motivated, fixating on individual politicians,' he said. In the 2024-25 financial year, the AFP received 951 reports of violent threats against federal politicians, nearly doubling from the 555 reports received in 2021-22. Assoc Prof Roose said online offenders were often middle-aged men who felt left behind by society. 'We see them, on the one hand, attracted to ... anti-government extremist ideologies, but also anti-women and misogynistic material and ideologies,' he said. ASIO director-general Mike Burgess (pictured) used his annual threat assessment to warn about the 'acute concern' of politically motivated violence  They tended to focus on politicians who appeared to embody their issues with society, with cost-of-living and migration key flash points, Assoc Prof Roose added. On Friday, a Western Australian court sentenced William James King to seven months in prison for social media threats to kill Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns. 'I'll assassinate you and Albo, and the country will be a better place,' he wrote in a direct message to Mr Minns' Instagram account in January. His lawyer argued the 20-year-old had been reading political articles and online comments and had been triggered by housing and immigration issues. King's sentence was conditionally suspended for 12 months and his lawyer argued he had no intent to make good on the threat. Two days earlier, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess used his annual threat assessment to warn about the 'acute concern' of politically motivated violence. These involve violent acts or threats intended or likely to achieve a political objective, ranging from vandalising an electoral office to a terror attack. He insisted the likelihood of such incidents was higher than the current threat level of 'probable' suggested but not specific enough to reach the 'expected' threshold. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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