Anti-Semitic vandal’s surprising vow after Bondi attack
A vandal who led an anti-Semitic attack vowed to avenge the Bondi terror attack on behalf of the Jewish community, a judge was told.
In the dead of night on November 20, 2024, Mohommed Farhat led a 41-minute campaign of destruction in Woollahra, the heart of Australia’s Jewish community.
The 21-year-old and his accomplice Thomas Stojanovski, also 21, left 10 cars covered in graffiti, burned two and damaged four buildings in the eastern Sydney suburb.
Doodles plastered on cars and buildings included the words “Fuck Israel” and “PKK is coming,” a reference to the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Farhat was sentenced to the maximum sentence of one year and eight months in prison in November after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including multiple counts of property damage.
He was scheduled to be released in December, but the State Parole Board revoked his bail before release, finding he posed a serious and identifiable risk to the safety of the community.
The state government prepared for the possibility of Farhat’s release by making an urgent application for a supervision order, ahead of an appeal against the severity of the prison sentence.
Lawyer Trish McDonald SC told the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday that the 21-year-old was at risk of committing terrorism offenses if left unsupervised in society.
He said he was the son of the late Comancheros national president Mick Hawi and linked to Alameddine’s alleged associate, as well as others linked to his crimes.
Ms. McDonald stated that continued contact with these negative peer influences raises concerns about whether he is cutting ties to reduce the threat of reoffending.
The prosecutor said Farhat, who has a tattoo of the Hezbollah symbol on his neck, was motivated by an act of violence against the Jewish community and that his risk factors did not appear to have been resolved in prison.
However, Farhat’s lawyer, Peter Lange SC, expressed remorse for his actions and sympathized with the Jewish community following the Bondi Beach massacre.
In a phone conversation in prison, the court was told that Farhat would kill those responsible for shooting dead 15 people on the evening of December 14.
“If he can be persuaded from one side of the political divide to the other, that shows a complete lack of ideology,” Mr. Lange said.
He said the absence of an ideology meant Farhat was less likely to reoffend.
He argued that the “hypothetical risk probabilities” determined by the prosecution could not be raised to high-probability possibilities and were insufficient to demonstrate the need for supervision.
A risk assessment revealed that Farhat had a need to belong.
The report found that if he was faced with an ideology within the Jewish community that legitimized the use of revenge and violence, he would likely not be able to refuse an offer to join.
Judge Peter Hamill refused to grant interim control on Thursday but granted emergency leave if Farhat’s appeal is successful.
The objection will be discussed later in the day.
