A man has been charged after cars and buildings were damaged or vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney’s east last week.
Just after midnight on Thursday, emergency services responded to reports of a vehicle on fire on Wellington Street in Woollahra.
While the fire was extinguished, the vehicle could not be saved.
This vehicle and a further nine parked along Wellington Street, Tara Street, Fullerton Street and Ocean Street were also allegedly graffitied.
Another vehicle allegedly received minor damage as a result of the fire. Police estimated the total value to be in excess of $70,000.
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Three buildings located on Ocean Street and Fullerton Street were also allegedly graffitied. At this time, the total estimated value of the damage is between $20,000 to $30,000.
After an investigation under Strike Force Mylor, Mohommed Farhat, a 20-year-old man from Mascot, was arrested at about 3.50am this morning at Sydney airport.
He was taken to Mascot police station and charged with 21 offences, including 14 counts of destroying or damaging property, three counts of entering a building/land with intent to commit an indictable offence, and behaving in an offensive manner in or near a public place or school.
The matter was briefly mentioned at Downing Centre local court on Monday afternoon, where Farhat was refused bail, and his lawyer told the magistrate his client needed more time to put together a comprehensive application.
The matter was referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and adjourned until 9 December.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns said the arrest was “good and welcome news” and demonstrated police had dedicated significant resources to their investigations.
Minns also said he was considering changes to the state’s laws against racial vilification, despite the state’s Law Reform Commission advising against changing the laws, section 93z of the Crimes Act, in a report presented in parliament on Thursday.
“I’ve got concerns about whether the current 93z laws in place at the moment are fit for purpose,” he said.
