A 33-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an antisemitic attack on the Newtown Synagogue in Sydney, Australia, where vandals spray-painted swastikas and attempted to set the building on fire on January 11. The New South Wales Police Force announced the arrest on Wednesday.

Adam Edward Moule faces multiple charges, including arson and property damage, and has been denied bail. Strike Force Pearl detectives apprehended Moule during an overnight raid in Camperdown.

The police established Strike Force Pearl in December to address hate crimes, which has already led to nine arrests. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb stated that a second arrest in the case is expected soon. NSW Premier Chris Minns emphasized the operation is “just getting started.”

Commissioner Webb confirmed that authorities have “strong leads” in the ongoing investigation, supported by a dedicated team of 40 detectives.

The attack on Newtown Synagogue is part of a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia, including vandalism of other shuls and properties. A recent snap cabinet meeting convened by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the surge in antisemitism, which has resulted in 166 reported incidents in recent weeks. Fifteen of these are under investigation, with 36 people charged in New South Wales and 70 arrests made in Victoria.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw revealed that authorities are investigating possible international links to these crimes, including the use of cryptocurrency to fund local perpetrators.

“We are looking into whether overseas actors or individuals have paid local criminals in Australia to carry out some of these crimes in our suburbs,” Kershaw said.

Prime Minister Albanese has vowed to strengthen legal measures and improve coordination to combat antisemitism. His government has faced criticism, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accusing him of being slow to act.

“This is a national crisis,” Dutton said at a rally on Tuesday. “We are experiencing rolling terrorist attacks in our community, and the prime minister is being dragged kicking and screaming to address it.”

Albanese has condemned antisemitism unequivocally, stating that his government “calls it out consistently and works with the community to address these issues.”

The surge in antisemitism in Australia mirrors trends observed globally, with reports of Iran allegedly paying criminals in Europe and elsewhere to carry out attacks targeting Jewish communities. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has linked the rise in attacks to perceived anti-Israel policies by Australia’s left-wing Labor government.

Since June, Australia has recorded at least eight major antisemitic incidents, including the arson attack on the Adass Yisroel shul in Melbourne in December and vandalism of a Sydney child-care center earlier this week.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)