Two men from the Sydney area were charged on Wednesday as accessories to the January antisemitic attacks in Australia in which cars were torched and homes, including a Jewish community leader’s former residence, were vandalized.
Both are also suspected of being behind the attempted arson of the Newtown Synagogue.
A 37-year-old man and a 33-year-old man were arrested on Wednesday at a correctional facility for the older suspect’s alleged involvement in a January 17 Dover Heights incident and both of their roles in a January 11 Queens Park incident, the New South Wales Police Force (NSW) announced on Thursday.
The older man faces a charge of accessory before damaging property by means of fire, and both face charges for accessory before damaging property in the company and participating in a criminal group activity.
Regarding the main perpetrators of the January incidents, these charges indicated that they are still at large.
The Guardian identified the two men as Adam Edward Moule and Leon Sofilas. Both men were previously charged for the January 11 vandalization and attempted arson of the Newtown Synagogue. After allegedly failing to start a fire, the two commenced to spray-paint the wall and fence of the house of worship with red swastikas.
That same day, five vehicles, a trailer, and two houses were vandalized with offensive graffiti in Queens Park. One of the homes was marked with the words “F*** Jews,” similar to the slogan used five days earlier in the same neighborhood when a car was vandalized.
On January 17, two vehicles were set on fire, and two more cars and two homes were vandalized in Dover Heights. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin’s former home was defaced in this incident.
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies welcomed Thursday’s announcement of new charges being leveled but noted that “there is more work to do.”
“These arrests must now be matched with strong action by the courts,” the board wrote on Facebook. “We need a clear message that this kind of hate won’t be tolerated on our streets.”
The attempted arson at the Newtown Synagogue occurred just a day after the Southern Sydney synagogue was spray-painted with swastikas and the phrases “Hitler on top” and “Free Palestine.” As of yet, the perpetrators have not been arrested.
Other arrests
Another 36-year-old man was charged on Tuesday for his role in the antisemitic December 11 arson attack on a vehicle in Woollahra, the NSW police announced on Wednesday.
The destroyed vehicle, another car, two buildings, and a footpath were allegedly spray-painted, causing about AUD 20,000 in damages.
This suspect faces charges of participation in group criminal activity, accessory before the fact of damage to property, and driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner.
Like Wednesday’s suspects, he was also arrested at a correctional facility. A Liverpool woman was also arrested in January for her involvement in the incident.
The alleged perpetrators were arrested and charged under Strike Force Pearl, a police task force formed in December to address antisemitic incidents in the Sydney area. A total of 13 people have been charged under the task force, including four for the two October Bondi business arsons and three for the November Woollahra vehicle and car vandal incidents.