Suspect in attack on Australia’s Newtown Synagogue captured, second arrest expected

Swastikas daubed on a synagogue in Newtown on January 11, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Screen grab via ABC News)
Swastikas daubed on a synagogue in Newtown on January 11, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Screen grab via ABC News)

A man has been arrested and charged for allegedly vandalizing and attempting to set on fire the Newtown Synagogue near Sydney, Australia, earlier this month, the New South Wales Police Force says.

The arrest of a second suspect is also expected soon, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb says.

The Newtown Synagogue was attacked on January 11 before dawn, when vandals spray-painted red swastikas outside the synagogue’s entrance and tried to burn it down. Security videos showed two men working together.

The 33-year-old suspect was apprehended by Strike Force Pearl detectives in an overnight raid in Camperdown. Police also seized a number of items which have been taken for further examination. The suspect was first taken to St Vincent’s Hospital under police guard, and upon release was taken to the police station. He was charged with numerous crimes, including destroying property with fire and damaging property. The suspect was denied bail.

Numerous synagogues around Australia have been attacked since the firebombing of the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne attracted international attention in December. The day before the Newtown Synagogue was attacked, the Sydney Southern Synagogue was graffitied with the words “Hitler on top” and “Free Palestine.”

Strike Force Pearl was established in December 2024 after the arson attack on the Adass Synagogue to investigate antisemitic hate crimes in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. The team includes counter-terrorism and special tactics officers.

It was Strike Force Pearl’s ninth arrest, the New South Wales Police note.

Most Popular