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Arrests made following antisemitic arson attack on long day care service in Sydney
Freya Lucas
Mar 14, 2025
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Police have made a number of arrests earlier this week as part of Strike Force Pearl, including the arrest of those allegedly involved in religiously motivated arson attacks and offensive graffiti across the Eastern Suburbs between October 2024 and February 2025.
As part of these series of incidents, a long day care service in Sydney’s Maroubra was set alight.The service is located a short distance from a synagogue and Jewish school in the same suburb, however the service, part of a larger organisation with centres in multiple states, has no direct connections to the Jewish community.
Police arrested 14 people through the execution of 11 simultaneous search warrants, laying 65 charges and three firearm prohibition orders.
Charges included knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group, accessory before the fact to malicious damage in company, damaging property in company use (fire), two counts of destroying property in company use (fire) and breaking and entering in company to destroy property.
Two men from the New South Wales Central Coast, aged 18 and 20 years, were charged with participating in a criminal group and contributing to criminal activity after police made allegations that the pair were involved in providing vehicles which were used during the arson attack on the centre which caused damage worth an estimated $3.4m.
Another two men, aged 23 and 37 years respectively, were arrested at Riverstone Police Station after being transferred from a correctional facility. The older of the two men was charged with additional offences of accessory before the fact to damaging property by means of fire or explosion - over his involvement in the arson attack on the centre at Maroubra - and also with possessing an unregistered firearm.
Police will allege in court that a firearm was seized during a warrant at a storage facility in January 2025.
He was remanded in custody and is due to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday 3 April 2025.
Investigations under Strike Force Pearl continue.
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