A Porsche-driving middleman has been jailed for five years for orchestrating a string of antisemitic attacks in Sydney, including the firebombing of a childcare centre and the torching of cars. The attacks, which occurred in January 2025, were designed to divide Australia's Jewish and Arab communities, a magistrate found.
Nicholas James Alexander, 32, pleaded guilty to knowingly directing a criminal group and six counts of being an accessory before the fact to property destruction. He admitted hiring others to firebomb a childcare centre in Maroubra and torch cars at the former home of senior Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin. Antisemitic slurs and swastikas were also painted on cars and a synagogue.
Alexander claimed he acted on the instructions of unknown people overseas and was not motivated by racial hatred but by financial reward. However, Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson rejected this, noting his ownership of a Porsche implied he was not without resources. She found he knew the offences would create fear in the Jewish community and beyond.
The magistrate described the attacks as a deliberate tactic to divide Australian Arabs and Jewish communities to further the aims of overseas masterminds. 'These events were also an attack on Australian society generally, by persons from outside our community. They were intended to divide our community,' she said.
Alexander showed no reaction as the sentence was delivered. He will be eligible for parole in mid-2028. Alex Ryvchin, whose former home was defaced, said the sentence was appropriate, noting the attacks made Jewish Australians fear for their lives and question their place in the country.
