A woman and seven children escaped unhurt after gunshots were fired into their Moorebank home shortly after a car was set alight in the driveway. The attack happened about 2.30am on Sunday, and several unidentified males are believed to have fled in a white vehicle before police arrived. A video reportedly filmed during the attack shows a masked assailant holding a sign with a taunting message. About 4.30am, police found another burning car on Rabaul Rd near Bankstown Airport and are investigating whether it is linked. Anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
The ABC has sacked a reporter after its ombudsman found two of his stories gave audiences a misleading impression. Mahmood Fazal, a former Four Corners reporter, was dismissed in May 2026 after an investigation into his external work. The ABC initially stood by Fazal in 2024 when allegations emerged that he passed on threats from an organised crime gang to YouTuber Jordan Shanks' producer. Shanks' Bondi home was firebombed in November 2022, with police saying retaliation for his videos was a strong possibility. Fazal denies passing on any threats.
Police have charged a 15-year-old boy from Hume with arson over an incident in Taylors Hill in which two cars were allegedly set alight. Police allege the teen coordinated the attack on Woolwich Street in early October. A 13-year-old boy found nearby with severe burns was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Police believe he was fleeing in a stolen car when it crashed into bushes. The 15-year-old was bailed to face a children's court at a later date. Three other teens were arrested earlier during search warrants in the Merri-bek and Hume areas.
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A 32-year-old man has been charged over an alleged car fire in Dulwich Hill and a sawn-off shotgun scare in Sydney's Inner West. Police were called to a car park at about 10.20am on Friday after a man allegedly set fire to a stolen vehicle while carrying a gun. Fire and Rescue NSW crews extinguished the car, and no injuries were reported. Police arrested the man on Burwood Road in Burwood at about 11.30pm on Sunday after he allegedly tried to evade officers.
A Melbourne couple's vegan cafe, And Bodega, was severely damaged in a suspected arson attack that targeted a neighbouring tobacco shop in Fitzroy North. The firebombing occurred amid a wave of similar attacks across the city, with hundreds of tobacconists hit since late 2023. The cafe owners, Ashish Sharma and Manali Purohit, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for repairs and reopening. Police are investigating the incident, which also resulted in the theft of $5,000 worth of equipment from the cafe.
A woman who built a beauty clinic from scratch fears she may have to move interstate after a suspicious overnight fire gutted her Moonee Ponds salon. Firefighters were called to Rejuvenate Hair and Skin on Shuter Street about 12.50am on Wednesday. Police believe two jerry cans were thrown inside before the business was set alight. Offenders fled in a light coloured vehicle towards Puckle Street. The owner, Hamidah Dildar, said the salon had been targeted by vandals three times in six months.
A tobacco shop in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, was destroyed by a suspicious fire at about 3.45am on Monday. The fire spread to neighbouring businesses. Police say a dark vehicle was seen leaving the scene, and the investigation is ongoing with no arrests. The blaze is part of a series of suspicious fires across the city, including car fires and ramraids. Police have charged three teenagers over an earlier firebombing in Taylors Hill, where a 13-year-old boy remains in critical condition. Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
A tobacco store in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, was set alight on Monday morning in what police are treating as suspicious. The blaze damaged two neighbouring shops, including a vegan cafe, and close to 30 firefighters were needed to control it. Victoria Police have closed 61 stores over the past four weeks for selling illicit tobacco with alleged links to organised crime. Criminologist James Martin warned that attacks could continue unless authorities address the underlying demand for nicotine rather than relying on reactive crackdowns.
A 15-year-old boy is under police guard in hospital, allegedly burnt at the scene of a suspicious fire at a Korean barbecue restaurant in Springvale. Police said two males were seen breaking into the restaurant at about 12.15am on Sunday before fleeing in a car. Shortly after, the boy was found with burns at a fast-food restaurant in Heatherton, and was arrested. Police have established a crime scene and the investigation is ongoing. The incident follows a spate of firebombings and arson attacks across Melbourne in the past week.
The sister of a 13-year-old boy critically injured in an alleged botched firebombing in Taylors Hill, northwest of Melbourne, has pleaded for an end to the violence. Police allege the boy and others were trying to set two cars alight when he caught fire, and he remains in hospital after a lengthy skin graft, with authorities warning he may still die. His sister told the ABC she believes falling in with the wrong crowd may have led to his condition.
Two cars at the Balwyn North home of philanthropist Inessa Shishkina and her husband Alexei Shishkin were firebombed early on Wednesday morning. The couple's son, Erik Shishkin, was jailed in June over a Reservoir home invasion. Police are trying to determine whether 14 car firebombings across Melbourne over five days are related. A 13-year-old boy is fighting for life after being burned in a bombing in Taylors Hill. Police believe the rise in attacks is linked to organised crime and appears to be an intimidation tactic.
A 13-year-old boy remains in critical condition after an alleged botched arson attack on two cars in Melbourne's north-west early on Monday. Police allege he was part of a group that doused the vehicles in petrol, but the boy caught fire and suffered burns to almost his entire body. Two 16-year-old boys are in custody over the incident, and a 15-year-old was arrested and released without charge. Police allege the teens were promised $3000 to commit the arson.
A 13-year-old boy is in critical condition with burns to 90 per cent of his body after a car firebombing in Melbourne's north-west went wrong. Police allege the boy and two others set two vehicles alight on Woolwich Way in Taylors Hill before fleeing the scene. Three teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the incident, which is part of a string of arson attacks across Melbourne. Police are investigating the role of middlemen who allegedly communicated via WhatsApp.
Melbourne residents faced another night of arson attacks, with six vehicles torched across multiple suburbs. In Oakleigh East, a family of four escaped harm when a firebombed ute damaged their home. Similar incidents occurred in Springvale and Reservoir, where flames spread to properties. Premier Ben Carroll condemned the attacks, while police investigate potential links. The spate of firebombings has destroyed 13 cars this week, with two homes damaged and a teenager critically injured.
A man attempted to ignite a fruit and vegetable store in Werribee after ramming a car into the closed premises. The incident occurred on Watton Street around 11:20pm on Tuesday 6 October. No injuries were reported as the shop was unoccupied. The suspect fled the scene in another vehicle, and police have not made any arrests. Authorities are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
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A man tried to set fire to a closed fruit and vegetable shop in Werribee, Melbourne, after ramming a vehicle into it. Two cars were set alight in Balwyn North, with flames spreading to a neighbouring property. Another firebombing in Maidstone damaged a car and a two-storey home. Police are treating the incidents as suspicious and investigating. No arrests have been made in the ongoing probe.
