An Australian man was arrested and charged for alleged vandalization and attempt to set a Sydney synagogue on fire last Saturday, the New South Wales Police Force announced on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old man from Camperdown was arrested on Tuesday in a Strike Force Pearl raid on two addresses in the area. The suspect was charged on Wednesday at the Downing Centre Local Court and denied bail.
The charges made against the suspect included destruction of property with fire and damage of property in the company of another. According to CCTV footage released by the NSW Police, the suspect had a partner who attempted to light the synagogue on fire and spray-painted its walls with red swastikas.
The Newtown synagogue incident occurred the same day that a Queens Park home was graffitied with the words “F**k Jews,” and five cars and a trailer were vandalized. The previous day, the Sydney Southern Synagogue was graffitied with the slogans “Hitler on top” and “Free Palestine.”
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies welcomed the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, saying on Facebook on Wednesday that such arrests were “essential to restoring deterrence and rebuilding community confidence.”
“The terrorists allegedly responsible for these attacks must now face the full force of the law,” the board demanded.
Police seized several items from the suspect’s home for further examination. He was also charged with having suspected stolen goods and cultivating a prohibited plant.
The suspect’s charging marks the ninth charging under Strike Force Pearl, which was established in December with the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command to investigate antisemitic hate crimes in the Sydney area.
Two men were arrested last Tuesday for the October 20 arson of the Bondi Kosher cafe Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, the NSW police announced. Residents had to be evacuated from the entire building, but Fire and Rescue NSW was able to extinguish the blaze.
NSW Premier noted during a Tuesday press briefing with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that the fire caused over a million dollars in damage. The two suspects, masked and armed with a sledgehammer, were seen fleeing the scene by a security guard.
Two other men were arrested in October and December for another Bondi arson that occurred three days prior and were mentioned in the same police statement. The suspects allegedly poured accelerant under the front door of Curly Lewis Brewing before igniting it and fleeing.
The fire died out on its own, but according to police, it caused significant damage.
The two men were set to appear before court on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday that text messages between the men revealed in court documents suggested they were being paid by a man designated “James Bond.”
“Use (sic) f***ed the whole thing…couldn’t do it from the start. Got a message from James – reckons there is no damage,” the text messages read, according to ABC. “I’m starting to think he sent us to the wrong place.”
Series of antisemitic arsons and vandalism
On Tuesday, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw announced that his force was investigating if the recent spate of antisemitic arsons and vandalism across the country was being funded by foreign actors. Albanese echoed his concerns about the possibility at a Wednesday press briefing.
Strike Force Pearl on Monday arrested and charged a 34-year-old Liverpool woman for her alleged involvement in a December 11 Woollahra area incident in which a vehicle was set on fire.
The destroyed vehicle and another car, two buildings, and a footpath were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
On Thursday a 21-year-old man was arrested by Strike Force Pearl for involvement in a November 21 Woollahra arson that destroyed one car and damaged another. Nine other vehicles were also allegedly graffitied, as well as three buildings.
The man collaborated with 20- and 19-year-old men that had previously been arrested by the task force.
Following the Monday arson of a kindergarten near a synagogue and the discovery of antisemitic graffiti at the damaged site, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell said on Tuesday that Strike Force Pearl was investigating if the antisemitic incidents were linked.
He announced the further allocation of resources to the operation. NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb stated on Tuesday that 20 more investigators would be added to Strike Force Pearl.