Police arrest 14 over violent attacks on Jewish buildings in Sydney, but dismiss antisemitism as motive

The caravan contained enough explosives to cause a 40-metre-wide blast, along with a note bearing antisemitic messages and a list of synagogues.

Australian authorities initially believed the caravan to be part of a “fabricated terrorism plot” rather than an actual attempt to cause mass casualties.

According to Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett, it was an “elaborate scheme contrived by organised criminals domestically and offshore”.

A former bike gang leader, Sayed Moosawi, is among 14 charged over the attacks in Sydney, which authorities claim were aimed at distracting police from organised crime.

On Tuesday, Moosawi pleaded not guilty to three charges relating to two arson attacks on businesses in Bondi Beach in October.

While a dozen individuals were arrested in connection with these crimes in the early months of the investigation, police maintained at the time that they had found no evidence of an antisemitic motivation, describing the suspects as “criminals for hire”.

The same conclusion has been drawn regarding the 14 individuals arrested on Monday.

David Hudson, Deputy Police Commissioner for New South Wales told reporters, “The caravan job was orchestrated by the same individual or individuals that were orchestrating the Pearl incidents,”

However, he went on to clarify that “none of the individuals we have arrested during Pearl have displayed any form of antisemitic ideology”.

Hudson suggested that the individuals arrested were not driven by hatred but instead by the opportunity to exploit social unrest: “Obviously, there have been antisemitic attacks of a lower nature, and a lot of anger and angst in the community – we’ve seen that since October 7, 2023... And I think these organised crime figures have taken an opportunity to play on the vulnerability of the Jewish community.”

Police dismissal of antisemitism as a key motivation for the attacks has caused concern among Jewish community leaders, who remain worried about the safety and security of the community.

Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, commented: “We welcome the recent arrests but for Australian Jews, concern remains. To many, it won’t provide major comfort that organised criminal gangs were involved in burning down their child’s daycare or vandalising their synagogue.

“The Australian Government allowed antisemitism to fester to such an extent that even criminal gangs allegedly took advantage of the situation to spread terror and fear across the community.”

Gregory called for more transparency, urging the police to reveal the identity of those behind the attacks. “While it seems likely that some of the low-level perpetrators may not have been motivated by antisemitism, many questions remain about who was behind the campaign,” he said. “Police should disclose the name of the alleged foreign ringleader.”

Australia has witnessed a significant increase in hate crimes against Jews since the outbreak of violence in Gaza.

Preliminary figures from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry showed 662 reported antisemitic incidents across the country in October and November 2023 alone, following the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel.