Latest news with #StrikeForcePearl
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Epoch Times
CCTV Footage Released in Sydney Childcare Centre Arson Probe
New South Wales (NSW) Police have released CCTV footage as part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected arson attack and anti-Semitic vandalism at a childcare centre in Sydney's east earlier this year. The footage shows two men and a black Audi sedan believed to be linked to the incident, which occurred just after midnight on Jan. 21. Both men are described as being of medium build, about 180 cm tall, with facial hair, and were wearing dark-coloured hooded jumpers. The vehicle was seen travelling along the M5 from Fairford Road before the incident, and later exiting the motorway at Kingsgrove Road. The black Audi was subsequently located in Kingsgrove and seized by police for forensic examination. Investigators have released still images of the suspects and the car, urging anyone with relevant information or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. How the Childcare Centre Attack Unfolded Just after midnight, emergency services were called to the Only About Children childcare centre on Storey Street, Maroubra, following reports of a fire. Related Stories 4/7/2025 3/13/2025 Fire and Rescue NSW crews arrived to find the ground floor alight. The blaze was extinguished, but the building sustained significant damage. Anti-Semitic graffiti, including offensive language, was spray-painted on an external wall. No one was inside the building at the time, and no injuries were reported. Although the childcare centre has no known ties to the Jewish community, it is located just a few doors down from a synagogue with its own early learning facilities. Officers from the Eastern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene and launched Strike Force Pearl to investigate the suspicious fire and hate-related vandalism. Authorities Condemn Hate Crimes Only About Children CEO Anna Learmonth said the organisation was 'shocked and horrified' by the attack. The incident occurred during a broader surge in anti-Semitic acts across Sydney. NSW Police reaffirmed their commitment to tackling hate-fuelled violence. Operation Shelter was established in October 2023 to gather intelligence and respond to hate-related threats following the Israel-Gaza conflict. Since then, 181 arrests have been made and more than 450 charges laid. Strike Force Pearl, created to focus specifically on incidents targeting the Jewish community, has led to eight people being charged with a total of 59 offences. In response to the rising threat, the Australian Federal Police also launched a dedicated task force in December 2024 to investigate hate crimes against the Jewish community and federal parliamentarians. Police have called for public cooperation, stressing the importance of community vigilance and unity in addressing targeted violence. 'It's vital that we all work together to keep New South Wales a safe place for every community,' NSW Police said.
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dutton ‘conned' by fake terrorism caravan plot and ‘played into hands of crime figures', Burke says
Tony Burke has claimed the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was 'conned' by a Sydney caravan plot that police have declared fake and should 'apologise' to the public. The Australian federal police revealed on Monday the explosives-laden caravan found earlier this year in the outer Sydney suburb of Dural was a 'fake terrorism plot'. The AFP deputy commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said investigators now believed the caravan incident was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit. After the revelation, Burke took to X to criticise Dutton, saying he 'played directly into the hands of organised crime figures' before going further in comments to the media on Monday evening. 'The other person, though, who was conned in all of this and whose recklessness has caught up with him today is Peter Dutton,' Burke said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'His recklessness has caused him to make claims about national security which are now demonstrably untrue time and time again. Mr Dutton, without seeking a briefing, simply asserted a large-scale planned terrorist attack.' Burke also called on Dutton to apologise to the public, for the 'consequences' of his claims on the attack. 'Peter Dutton owes a pretty big apology to the Australian people. He made claim after claim which is now demonstrably untrue.' Barrett said the 'twisted self-serving criminality [of the fabricated terrorism plot] has terrorised Jewish Australians'. 'What organised crime has [allegedly] done to the Jewish community is reprehensible and it won't go without consequences.' Police told the media Strike Force Pearl officers arrested 14 people, and conducted 11 search warrants, on Monday as part of their investigations into antisemitic attacks across Sydney. Police said none of those arrested were directly linked to the caravan plot. Earlier, cabinet minister Murray Watt said the government 'welcomed' the findings. 'I think even though the police have found there wasn't a real risk to public safety I don't think we can underestimate the psychological harm that [it] created for the Jewish community,' he told ABC's Afternoon Briefing. The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, also wrote on X that 'organised crime concocting terrorism plots targeting the Jewish community is an extremely serious matter'. 'National security ministers & the PM should have been promptly briefed, as the NSW Premier was. The government must now explain whether they were, & if not, why not.' The Coalition has consistently tried to push the prime minister to reveal when he was briefed on the caravan plot. The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, was asked by the opposition about the timing of briefings during Senate estimates in February. At the time he said it was inappropriate to comment as investigations were ongoing.
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- The Guardian
Sydney caravan a ‘fake terrorism plot' and antisemitic attacks a scheme to divert police resources, authorities allege
Federal police say a caravan found in Sydney earlier this year was 'never going to cause a mass casualty event' and was a 'fake terrorism plot'. The Australian federal police deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Monday investigators now believed the caravan incident was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit. 'We are now confident these tip-offs were fabricated and the caravan plot was an elaborate scheme contrived by organised criminals domestically and from offshore,' Barrett said. 'This twisted self-serving criminality has terrorised Australians. What organised crime has [allegedly] done to the Jewish community is reprehensible and it won't go without consequences.' The NSW police deputy commissioner David Hudson said Strike Force Pearl officers conducted 11 search warrants on Monday and arrested a further 14 people as part of their investigations into antisemitic attacks across Sydney. None of those arrested were directly linked to the 'caravan job', he said. The deputy commissioner said 'organised crime elements' were behind the attacks to 'further their own causes'. None of those arrested had displayed any antisemitic ideology, Hudson alleged. The same person or persons was pulling the strings for both the antisemitic attacks and the caravan incident to divert police resources so they could continue their criminal activity more easily, Huson alleged. A couple allegedly named on a police warrant as part of the investigation into the caravan was previously charged in relation to a separate alleged arson and graffiti attack in Sydney's east. NSW police in mid-February charged Scott Marshall, 36, over an incident in Woollahra on 11 December last year when an allegedly stolen car was set alight and anti-Israel graffiti was painted on cars, buildings and a footpath. Marshall's partner, Tammie Farrugia, 34, was charged in mid-January in relation to the Woollahra incident. She was accused of participating in a criminal group and damaging property. Marshall was arrested in Parklea prison last month – where he was being held on remand on unrelated charges – and charged with allegedly participating in a criminal group to contribute to criminal activity; destroying or damaging property as an accessory before the fact; and taking and driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion NSW police allege Marshall and Farrugia were 'involved in preparing' the car and jerry cans ahead of the Woollahra attack. The head of Strike Force Pearl told reporters in mid-February that the alleged 'principal offenders' behind the 11 December incident had not been arrested. Neither Faruggia nor Marshall have been charged in relation to the caravan and Guardian Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on their part.
The Independent
05-03-2025
- The Independent
Second Sydney nurse who appeared in video threatening Israeli patients charged
Police have charged a second Sydney nurse over a video posted online that allegedly made threats to Israeli patients. Ahmad Rashad Nadir, a 27-year-old nurse who worked at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and possessing a prohibited drug, the Sutherland police said. Mr Nadir has been granted conditional bail and was due in court on 19 March. Mr Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, were suspended from their duties at the hospital over antisemitism after a video of them was posted online in which they allegedly threatened to deny treatment to Israeli patients or kill them. Ms Labdeh was arrested in February and charged with the federal offences of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace and harass, police said. The charges carried a potential maximum penalty of 22 years in prison. Mr Nadir was interviewed by the police earlier and has reportedly apologised for the video last month through his lawyer. The hospital examined patient records and found no evidence that the nurses had harmed patients. In the video, the nurses, wearing their uniforms, purportedly engaged in a conversation on the chat platform Chatruletka with Jewish content creator Max Veifer. After learning that Mr Veifer was from Israel, one of the nurses allegedly said if patients from the country came to their hospital, she would not treat them. "I won't treat them, I'll kill them," she said. The other nurse, a man, said: "Eventually you're going to get killed and you're going to go to (hell)." The incident comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in Australia in the backdrop of Israel's war on Gaza. Recent months have seen attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars belonging to Jews across the country as well as the discovery of a caravan carrying explosives and a list of Jewish targets in Sydney. New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said the antisemitism taskforce called the Strike Force Pearl has arrested 15 people and laid a total of 78 charges. 'I must commend the work Strike Force Pearl detectives are doing to investigate, charge and put these individuals before the courts,' she said on Wednesday, according to The Guardian. 'There is a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work going into all these investigations. 'Detectives have overcome many challenges – including huge public expectation – to put these individuals before the court,' Ms Webb said. The duo have been barred by the Australian health practitioner watchdog from working in the profession nationwide 'in any context'.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- The Guardian
Second Bankstown nurse charged over viral video allegedly threatening Israeli patients
A second Bankstown nurse involved in a viral video showing both he and his colleague allegedly threatening Israeli patients has been charged by Strike Force Pearl detectives. Ahmed Rashid Nadir, who worked at the Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital in Sydney's west, was arrested on Tuesday evening, and later charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and possessing a prohibited drug. The 27-year-old Bankstown man was granted bail to appear at the Downing Centre local court on 19 March. The other nurse featured in the video, Sarah Abu Lebdeh, was charged with three offences last week: threatening violence, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email There had been a delay in police speaking to Nadir, after he was taken to hospital for assessment earlier in February, when paramedics were called to his Bankstown home after a 'concern for welfare' report. In an edited video taken from a Chatroulette-style website discussion posted by the Israeli influencer Max Veifer last month, Nadir and Abu Lebdeh are shown allegedly speaking to the former soldier, who reveals in the video he served with the Israel Defense Forces. 'One day, your time will come and you will die the most horrible death,' Abu Lebdeh says on the video. The investigation was made more complex due to 'jurisdictional challenges', given Veifer is located outside Australia. The New South Wales police commissioner, Karen Webb, said Strike Force Pearl, the force's antisemitism taskforce, had now arrested 15 people and laid a total of 78 charges. 'I must commend the work Strike Force Pearl detectives are doing to investigate, charge and put these individuals before the courts,' she said in a statement on Wednesday. 'There is a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work going into all these investigations. 'Detectives have overcome many challenges – including huge public expectation – to put these individuals before the court,' Webb said. The two nurses have been barred by the Australian health practitioner watchdog from working in the profession nationwide 'in any context', and had their registrations suspended by the NSW Nursing and Midwifery Council.
