Ninth arrest under Strike Force Pearl after alleged arson attempt on Newtown religious building
A 33-year-old man charged with attempting to set fire to a Newtown synagogue has been identified, it comes as the NSW Police Commissioner said a second man would be arrested “shortly”.
NSW
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A 33-year-old man charged with attempting to set fire to a Newtown synagogue has been identified, as the NSW Police Commissioner said a second man would be arrested “shortly”.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a press conference on Wednesday morning that she expected a second man allegedly linked to the arson attempt to be in police custody shortly.
NSW Police indicated the man is still yet to be arrested, but Ms Webb said he “will also be before the court” alongside Adam Edward Moule – arrested on Tuesday.
It comes as the commissioner confirmed there was “good progress” and “strong leads” for the anti-Semitic attack at the synagogue in Allawah.
The premier had earlier sent a warning to alleged perpetrators and those thinking about committing similar crimes, saying “this is not the end of these arrests” and Operation Pearl “is just getting started”.
“We will leave no stone unturned in combating rampant anti-Semitism and violence in our community, it will never be tolerated,” Mr Minns said.
“I make it absolutely clear that civic leaders and the leaders of NSW stand united against this kind of fear and anti-Semitism.”
When questioned by media about whether foreign actors paid local criminals to commit anti-Semitic attacks, as mentioned by the Australian Federal Police as a potential line of investigation, Ms Webb didn’t want to “go into any specifics”.
However, she did confirm she has a conference with the AFP on Wednesday afternoon “to discuss” any information related to the NSW Police’s investigations.
She added that “we shouldn’t rule out anything”.
The premier told reporters his government was “pursuing changes to the law” whether it was sentences, or hate speech laws.
He later said “the book will be thrown” at those caught and convicted of these crimes.
Mr Minns said the NSW Government would be looking at other states, including Western Australia and Victoria which have “stronger and tougher” laws to address the rising number of anti-Semitic attacks.
He added that changes to protest laws would be in place once parliament returns and hate speech would be “as soon as possible”.
“We’re drafting them at the moment, we’re talking with our counterparts in Victoria ... so I hope sooner rather than later,” Mr Minns said.
It comes after a man was charged following an alleged attempt to set a synagogue on fire in Newtown earlier this month, as part of an ongoing investigation into anti-Semitic hate crimes across Sydney.
Adam Edward Moule, 33, was arrested on Tuesday night when Strike Force Pearl detectives executed search warrants at two Camperdown addresses on Pyrmont Bridge Rd.
It can be revealed Moule, was previously jailed for hitting and killing father-of-four Matthew Butcher while driving a truck on the northern beaches in 2021.
Moule was sentenced to 12 months jail on one count of negligent driving occasioning death, as well as six months jail for possessing a prohibited drug and another six months for Covid related breaches.
His non-parole period was set by Magistrate Gareth Cristofi to 18 months, which saw him walk free in 2023.
After his most recent arrest on Tuesday, he was initially taken to St Vincent’s Hospital under police guard before being transported to Surry Hills Police Station.
Moule was charged with multiple offences, including destroy or damage property using fire; goods in custody suspected of being stolen; and cultivating a prohibited plant.
He has been refused bail and will appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
The charges relate to an incident on January 11, when a synagogue on Georgina St in Newtown was allegedly graffitied with offensive slogans and an attempt was made to set it alight.
During the search, police seized several items for further examination.
Strike Force Pearl was established in December 2024 by officers attached to the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command – with support provided by Central Metropolitan Region – to investigate hate crimes with an anti-Semitic focus across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
On Tuesday, strike force officers searched three properties in Dural, Liverpool and Kellyville.
A NSW Police spokesman would not confirm which incidents the searches were connected with, saying investigations were “ongoing”.
A total of nine people have now been charged under Strike Force Pearl including four men – aged 31, 27, 40 and 26 – have been charged following fires at two businesses in Bondi in October 2024.
Another three men – aged 20,19 and 21 – have been charged after 10 vehicles and buildings were allegedly deliberately damaged in Woollahra in November 2024
A woman – aged 34 – has been charged after vehicles and buildings were allegedly deliberately damaged in Woollahra in December 2024.
And now Moule has now been charged after a building in Newtown was allegedly graffitied and attempted to be set alight.
Inquiries under Strike Force Pearl continue.
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