Police in Sydney have arrested a 37-year-old man over his suspected involvement in a fire on a Bondi house belonging to YouTuber Jordan Shanks (Friendlyjordies) in November 2022.
The blaze significantly damaged Shanks’ home and an adjoining property, which was empty at the time.
Police said they believe the alleged arson was connected to organised crime in Sydney’s southwest, and that more arrests are expected.
Friendlyjordies
Jordan Shanks is a social media personality, boasting more than 1.2 million subscribers on his FriendlyJordies YouTube channel.
Some of his videos have raised allegations against high-profile public figures, including former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.
In 2021, Barilaro sued Shanks for defamation (damaging one’s reputation). In several videos, Shanks described Barilaro as a “corrupt conman” among other things. Both parties settled the case outside of court.
The fire
Shanks’ home in Bondi was set ablaze at midnight on 23 November 2022. He was on tour at the time.
Four people allegedly set fire to Shanks’ home and an attached property. His lawyers said the attackers allegedly destroyed Shanks’ home using a “firebomb” — a device that starts a fire when it’s set off.
There had been a fire at the same Bondi house days earlier.
Investigation
Last month, police released CCTV footage hoping to identify two cars that had pulled up near the Bondi property when the fire broke out last year.
The suspects allegedly stole one of the cars, a Mercedes.
Since the fire, Shanks has shared a number of videos speculating about those who could have had a motive to attack him and said he feared for his life.
Arrest
Police have confirmed they made an arrest connected to the fire at Friendlyjordies house last year.
The 37-year-old was arrested at silverwater jail (while imprisoned for another crime) in Sydney’s west yesterday. He appeared in court via video link.
He was charged with two counts of destroying property by using fire while in the company of others, which can carry an 11-year jail sentence. It’s alleged he had driven one of the cars involved in the arson attack.
Organised crime
Police Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said the man has links to an organised crime group based in Sydney’s south-west.
He confirmed Shanks had identified the group in one of his videos on YouTube.
Some media reports have claimed the arrested person was identified in a FriendlyJordies episode titled “Coronation”, where he spoke about an alleged crime family police believe are involved in drug dealing.
More arrests
Police said they expect to make more arrests in the coming days and weeks. The arrests are for the same arson charges as the 37-year-old man.
All three are currently living in the community. Arbinja said investigators are “very close” to confirming the identities of those who were allegedly involved.
