Australia’s New South Wales police said Wednesday they charged the alleged ringleader of a string of antisemitic attacks that shook Sydney’s Jewish community earlier this year, including attacks on Jewish schools and the privately-owned home of a Jewish leader.

The announcement was the latest breakthrough in recent weeks for investigators, who have spent months searching for suspects for different attacks on Jewish targets in Australia without success.

Last month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed intelligence that Iran was behind a pair of antisemitic arson attacks in the country in 2024. Police also recently arrested suspects for an arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December.

However, the official gave no indication that the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Tarek Zahabe, was connected to Iran, and it appeared he had been acting independently.

Police said Wednesday that Zahabe was arrested in July and accused of orchestrating the January attacks. The arrests followed months of investigations by Strike Force Pearl, a police task force established earlier this year in Sydney to investigate the antisemitic attacks.

Investigators said Zahabe was responsible for attacking a child-care center near the Maroubra Synagogue, which was

© The Times of Israel