On January 21, fire services rushed to respond to a childcare centre on Storey Street in Maroubra, following reports of a fire on the ground floor alongside offensive graffiti discovered on the exterior wall. In connection with ongoing investigations into antisemitic incidents across Sydney, two men, aged 18 and 20, have been implicated and charged with arson, specifically for providing vehicles used in the attack that resulted in $3.4 million worth of damage. The pair appeared in Wyong Local Court the same day and were granted conditional bail, scheduled to return to Downing Centre Local Court on March 26.
NSW Police conducted simultaneous raids across five locations in Sydney, resulting in additional charges against two older men, aged 30 and 40, for vandalising properties including homes and schools in Maroubra, and a shopping complex in Eastgardens. During a search at a property in Penshurst, officers reportedly discovered an electronic stun device and steroids.
Further arrests included a 33-year-old man accused of graffiti vandalism on vehicles and properties on February 2, and three individuals, aged 23, 25, and 37, already incarcerated, charged for similar offences on January 11 in Queens Park. A 34-year-old linked to a correctional facility was also charged for orchestrating an arson attack at Bondi Beach last October, while a 41-year-old faces charges for allegedly breaking into a business and setting it ablaze on Curlewis Street.
As part of Strike Force Pearl, established in December to investigate religiously motivated arson and graffiti incidents across the eastern suburbs from October to February, authorities have now taken 29 individuals into custody and filed a total of 143 charges.