‘They call him Nazi’: Man accused of synagogue arson attacked in prison

One of two men accused of an antisemitic arson attack on a synagogue in Sydney’s inner west has been attacked in prison and is now in protective custody.

The Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday heard the pair were “motivated by a hatred” of Jewish people when they allegedly tried to firebomb a synagogue, which was also spray-painted red swastikas.

Two men have failed in bail bids over the alleged attack on a Jewish synagogue in Newtown in January.Credit: NSW Police

The details of the attack can be revealed only because a magistrate refused to release the accused arsonists and refused to close the court to members of the media and public.

The court was told how one of the men, Leon Emmanuel Sofilas, had been targeted in jail and had been given the nickname “Nazi” by inmates.

Sofilas, 37, and Adam Moule, 33, allegedly vandalised Newtown synagogue in the early hours of 11 January.

They allegedly poured accelerant on a bundle of sticks and tried to light it on fire, but fortunately, it did not take hold, police said.

Leon Sofilas, one of the alleged Newtown Synagogue attackers.

Sofilas allegedly spray-painted 10 red swastikas on the synagogue and fence, court documents claim. His criminal history runs to 50 pages, the court heard, and he had struggled with drugs in the past.

Since his arrival in prison he had been given a nickname “Nazi” by other inmates, his lawyer Steve Mav said.

Mav told the court Sofilas was attacked on two occasions in prison, first by four men then by seven men. He was being housed in protective custody.

“The attacks came after word emerged he was a ‘Nazi’,” Mav said.

“Inmates somehow got word that this man is a white supremacist. The nickname they have given him is ‘Nazi’. Word got around the prison there is a white supremacist.”

The court heard the men had troubled backgrounds, including multiple convictions for violent crimes and domestic violence.

The pair were arrested by counter-terror police on January 23. Sofilas was repeatedly Tasered after being tracked to a hotel room, where he was found with his girlfriend. He was hospitalised for days before fronting court.

Moule and Sofilas live in the same public housing block in Camperdown.Credit: Steven Siewert

Moule and Sofilas both live in the same public housing block in Camperdown, which is a short distance to Newtown.

Police claim CCTV has been pieced together to track the men from the synagogue all the way back to their unit block. Officers recognised Moule from his clothing and Sofilas’ distinctive scooter.

The pair are charged with attempting to destroy or damage property with fire in company. Both are pleading not guilty.

Lawyers for the pair on Thursday attempted to have the public and media shut out of court. But Magistrate Greg Grogin sided with a solicitor representing the Herald, among other media outlets, who argued there was an overwhelming public interest in the case.

“It is, and always has been, the tenets of the law that we have an open justice system, a transparent justice system, and that is only to be interfered with in specific circumstances,” Grogin said.

Prosecutor Peter Boctor told the court mobile phone evidence showed the pair communicated with each other, and there may be “other parties” involved in the alleged crime.

“These offences cause the community a great degree of harm,” Boctor said. “He’s accused of allegedly firebombing an institution, a place of worship where members commonly congregate.”

The pair allegedly spray-painted red swastikas on Newtown Synagogue before trying to firebomb the building.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

Boctor said the swastikas allegedly painted by Sofilas showed the pair were “motivated by a hatred of a particular group of people”.

“The malicious marking of a Jewish synagogue with swastika, a symbol associated with Nazism, antisemitism and white supremacy,” Boctor said.

Magistrate Grogin, refusing the pair’s release to bail, agreed.

“It’s a symbol appropriated by Nazi Germany, and one which creates hate and fear in many, many people, not just here in sydney or NSW or Australia, but all over the world,” he said.

Sofilas and Moule were arrested by counter-terror police understood to be attached to Strike Force Pearl, the NSW Police taskforce investigating a spate of antisemitic attacks around the city.

Pearl investigators, just days earlier, discovered a caravan full of explosives parked on a roadside in Dural with directions to another synagogue.

A note within the caravan reportedly said “f--- the jews”.

Police have yet to lay charges over the caravan bomb plot but three others, said to be “on the periphery” of the investigation, were already in custody.

They include people allegedly linked to an antisemitic graffiti attack, and car torching, in Woollahra in December.

There is no suggestion Moule or Sofilas were involved in the caravan plot.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.