Firebombing mastermind sentenced to five years in prison

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the five-year jail term handed down to the mastermind behind a wave of antisemitic firebombings was appropriate, saying the attacks “contributed to an environment of escalating attacks on Australian Jews which culminated in a massacre”.

Nicholas James Alexander, 32, was sentenced to an aggregate five-year jail term with a non-parole period of three years and four months at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday on seven offences.

“This man’s decision to target a childcare centre and a family home made people fear for their lives and the safety of their children,” Ryvchin said.

“They made Jewish Australians question their place in this country and change patterns of behaviour and interaction between Jews and non-Jews. His actions could have so easily caused people to be burned alive.”

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson said Alexander’s offending formed part of organised activity that “targeted the Sydney Jewish community” through arson attacks and potential use of explosives, including an attack on Ryvchin’s former home.