Man charged over 'senseless' anti-Israel graffiti spree

A man will remain in custody after being accused of torching a car and vandalising several others with anti-Israel slogans.

Mohommed Farhat, 20, was arrested early on Monday at Sydney Airport and charged over the alleged vandalism spree in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Thursday.

Police were called to Wellington Street in Woollahra just before 1am after reports of a vehicle on fire.

After the blaze was extinguished, officers discovered another nine cars parked along surrounding streets had been defaced with graffiti.

During a brief hearing at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, Farhat's barrister Evan James said no bail application would be made until the next hearing date on December 9.

The slogans painted during the incident included "f*** Israel" and "PKK coming".

PKK is an abbreviation for the Kurdistan Workers' Party, considered a terrorist group by the Turkish and Australian governments.

The vandalised vehicles were parked in streets surrounding the Turkish Consulate General.

Police spent days looking for two "masked individuals" captured on CCTV running from the scene.

Farhat was charged with 21 offences, including 14 counts of destroying or damaging property.

Detective acting Superintendent Adam Solah said the damage bill could be more than $100,000.

NSW Premier Chris Minns reiterated his contempt for the vandalism on Monday.

"Anyone who attempts to split our community into two or to vilify or attack or intimidate a member of our community, particularly our Jewish community, will be met with the full force of the law," he said.

The incident has attracted criticism from across the political spectrum and from Jewish community leaders.

Families would experience relief on news of the arrest after being "senselessly and maliciously targeted", NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said.

"We look forward to the full force of the law being applied to anyone who is found guilty of these crimes," he said.

Locals were seen cleaning their cars with acetone-free nail-polish remover on Thursday morning.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 people and displaced the vast majority of the enclave's population, according to Palestinian officials.

The war followed Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023, which left 1200 people dead and 250 more taken hostage.