Police have charged the alleged mastermind behind four antisemitic attacks, including an arson attack on a childcare centre, that came amid a spate of other incidents that rocked Sydney’s Jewish community over the summer.
New South Wales police said on Wednesday that 27-year-old Tarek Zahabe was charged in July for orchestrating four attacks in January. These included vandalising a Jewish school in Maroubra on 30 January, just nine days after he allegedly directed an arson attack on a nearby childcare centre.
On 17 January, he allegedly directed the vandalising of the former home of a prominent member of the Jewish community, Alex Ryvchin. The home was splattered with red paint and four cars were set alight, with “fuck Jews” scrawled across one burnt out car.
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Detectives also charged Zahabe and his alleged accomplice – 26-year-old Kye Pickering – for allegedly vandalising the Allawah synagogue on 10 January. Police allege Zahabe directed and assisted Pickering.
Zahabe has been charged with two counts of participating in a criminal group to contribute to criminal activity and knowingly/recklessly directing a criminal group to assist crime.
Pickering was charged with knowingly displaying by public act a Nazi symbol without excuse, destroying/damaging property in company more than $2,000, and participating in a criminal group contributing criminal activity.
Zahabe is due to appear before Downing Centre local court on 30 October. Pickering is also due to appear on 30 October.
The four incidents were among more than a dozen separate incidents, being investigated under police operation Strike Force Pearl, that were carried out across the summer and which included a caravan found laden with explosives on the outskirts of Sydney. The charges were a major breakthrough in NSW police’s investigation.
The case has been marked by developments, including the Australian federal police claiming in March that some of the incidents were a criminal “con job” fabricated by organised crime figures for personal benefit, and that the undisclosed figures were based in Australia and offshore.
Last month, Australia’s domestic spy agency Asio announced it had “credible evidence” that one incident in the wave – an arson attack on Lewis’s Continental Kitchen in Bondi – was directed by Iran. It also has evidence that Iran – which has denied the allegations – was behind an attack on a Melbourne synagogue.
Guardian Australia understands no links have been made between the charges announced on Wednesday and either Iran or the organised crime figures mentioned previously by the AFP, however, investigations are still under way.
