Man Charged Over Multiple Anti-Semitic Attacks Sydney

A 27-year-old man, Tarek Zahabe, has been charged as the alleged mastermind behind a series of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney during January 2025, which included vandalism of a synagogue, firebombing of a childcare centre, and attacks on a Jewish leader's former home. Police allege Zahabe directed a 26-year-old accomplice, Kye Pickering, to spray Nazi swastikas on the Allawah Synagogue and commit other acts of hate, including setting fire to cars and defacing property with anti-Semitic slogans. The incidents, part of a broader wave of hate crimes investigated under Strike Force Pearl, left the Jewish community in fear and were widely condemned by officials, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, who called the events a "summer of racism." Zahabe faces charges including participating in and directing criminal group activity, while Pickering faces charges related to displaying Nazi symbols and property damage. The attacks occurred amid heightened tensions, with Australia recently expelling Iran's ambassador over intelligence linking the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to similar attacks on Jewish sites in Sydney and Melbourne. Both men are due to appear in court in late October.