Twenty-year-old criminal “tasker” arrested over firebombings

Police have made what they are describing as “the most consequential arrest” so far in relation to the recent spate of firebombings of hospitality venues around Melbourne.

Detectives from the Armed Crime Squad arrested a 20-year-old from Essendon on Tuesday July 14, who was believed to have been delegating crimes targeting hospitality venues to offenders via encrypted messaging apps.

They allege the man, despite his youth, is a high-ranking member of an organised criminal syndicate known as the Commission which is linked to a 23-year-old offshore leader.

“We believe the person who was arrested today is the main tasker of serious crimes in Victoria on behalf of the Commission, and the person offshore is the main person who's tasking those things into Victoria,” Operation Eclipse Detective Inspector Graham Banks told a media conference on Tuesday.

Police say the 20-year-old, who lived at home with his family, used the online name “Commbank”, probably because of the money he was making, and bragged about having more than 2000 potential offenders to do his bidding.

The many incidents he allegedly commissioned include a mistaken identity kidnapping in Malvern, an attempted aggravated home invasion in Doncaster and an attempted arson on a Southbank licensed premises.

Two teenage boys were charged over the incident at Left Bank in Southbank after police foiled an alleged attempted arson at around 4am on April 27.

The boys were allegedly seen putting on balaclavas and latex gloves before officers swooped-in, arresting them.

A vehicle, believed to be used by the pair, was found parked nearby containing jerry cans and a sledgehammer.

Detective Inspector Banks said the criminal incidents related not just to the dozens of hospitality venue firebombings being investigated by Operation Eclipse but also the tobacco wars being targeted by Operation Lunar.

“The Commission, which is broadly what we call the Hamad syndicate is, I believe, principally to blame,” he said, although they had “aligned with other serious organised crime players”.

The syndicate had a huge involvement in drugs, particularly cocaine, and was motivated purely by profit, he told reporters.

“They're into every single thing you can think of and then they try and think of something else.”

The Detective Inspector said Victoria Police would continue working with partner agencies to target the syndicates involved.

“Victoria Police will do everything we can to hold them accountable,” he said.

Police were continuing to look at all possible motivations behind the offending, they said in a statement, including who was involved and why.

They remained open to a range of possibilities and encouraged anyone with any information to come forward.

Meanwhile there continued to be an increased police presence in both an overt and covert capacity through Melbourne’s entertainment precincts.

Detectives from the Armed Crime Squad have this afternoon charged the man allegedly tasking offenders with a number of incidents linked to the targeting of hospitality venues.

With assistance from Operation Eclipse detectives, a search warrant was executed at a residential address in Essendon around 8.30am.

The 20-year-old Essendon man has since been charged with a range of offences including:

• Aggravated home invasion with an offensive weapon, kidnapping, extortion with threats to kill, false imprisonment, common law assault, attempted aggravated home invasion, incitement to commit an indictable offence and recruiting a child to engage in criminal activity in relation to an incident in Malvern on 14 April;

• Attempt to commit an indictable offence (arson), incite to commit an indictable offence and recruiting a child to engage in criminal activity in relation to an incident in Southbank on 27 April; and

• Attempted home invasion and recruiting a child to engage in criminal activity in relation to an incident in Doncaster on 28 April.

The man appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.

Police will allege he "tasked" offenders via encrypted applications for numerous jobs, including a mistaken identity kidnapping in Malvern, an attempted aggravated home invasion in Doncaster and an attempted arson on a Southbank licensed premises in April.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au