Adelaide-based foreign students,mainly Indians,have complained of being terrorised by a gang of teens who allegedly torched three of their cars in firebomb attacks,the latest in a slew of such strikes described by the community as "racial" that have damaged over 12 of their vehicles. The overseas students living in Greenacres suburb said the early morning firebomb attacks have scared them and that they are fearing for their lives,according to 'Adelaide Now' publication. Yasif Multani,a 28-year-old Indian student,claimed that a group of up to 15 neighbourhood teenagers were responsible for a string of attacks on the student community. Multani had two of his vehicles torched in the early hours yesterday and said that such attacks had led to more than 12 cars being damaged in the past three months and mail stolen from letter boxes,the report said. The student community has also witnessed the spraying of racist graffiti and bins being emptied in the streets,it said. Car windscreens had been smashed throughout the complex and one night a couch on a veranda was set on fire. Multani quoted one of his friends,who was too frightened to come forward,as saying that he saw a teenager on a bicycle throw a petrol bomb through the windscreen of a car yesterday. "These people know when we are here and when we are working," Multani said. "They watch us. They know everything we do. They know which cars are ours and they have not damaged the cars of non-international students parked in this area. People are scared." "At night time (the offenders) are banging on the doors and running away,and fires have been lit close to some (housing) units," he said. Superintendent Barry Lewis,officer in-charge of the Holden Hill Local Service Area,said a tactical team had been redeployed to bring the offenders to justice. "This is very concerning," Lewis said. "There are some youths living nearby in that area creating a bit of an issue - three of them are already in custody. "We have had an operation running in the area and since this has happened overnight,we have the tactical team back in operation to work out who the offenders are and bring them in." While Lewis said the offenders were juveniles and he did not believe the attacks were racially motivated,students have claimed that they were racial strikes. "The fact that there are people with overseas names listed as owners of those cars does not mean that it was racially motivated," Supt Lewis said. He said the tactical team,consisting of a sergeant and five officers,would ensure the offenders were caught and Holden Hill police were implementing a broader strategy to deal with such crimes. "If there are people running around rattling windows and causing problems in that area,we need the public to let us know immediately so we can act on it," he said. According to one of the residents of the student accommodation,who did not wish to be named,the attacks were "clearly racially motivated". "On the same street there are around five to 10 other cars parked at night times,but it is always only the cars of international students which are attacke ," the student said.
