Sydney, July 14: A group of international students, mostly Indians, in the Australian city of Adelaide are living in constant fear after a gang fire-bombed three of their cars on Tuesday, the latest incident in a series of continuing attacks that have damaged 12 cars in three months.
The students, who live in a block of 13 South Australian Student Housing Association units in Greenacres, say the early morning fire-bomb attack has left them worried. Adelaide Now quoted Yasif Multani, 28, as saying that a group of up to 15 local teenagers were believed to be responsible for the string of attacks. Two vehicles owned by Mr Multani were torched in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He said the attacks had led to more than 12 cars being damaged in the past three months, mail being stolen from letter boxes, racist graffiti being painted and garbage bins being emptied on the streets. Car windscreens have also been smashed and one night a couch on a veranda was set ablaze. He said a friend of his saw a teenager throw a petrol bomb through the windscreen of a car earlier.
The Superintendent, Mr Barry Lewis, officer in charge of the Holden Hill Local Service Area, said: “This is very concerning.” “There are some youths living nearby in that area creating a bit of an issue - three of them are already in custody.
He, however, said he didn’t believe the attacks were racially motivated.