A controversial YouTuber whose house went up in flames may have been targeted by a criminal gang, police say

• A YouTuber is under police protection after a fire at his home in the suburbs of Sydney.
• Police suspect arson was the cause of the fire and are hunting a criminal gang.

A controversial YouTuber has been given police protection after his home was targeted in a suspected arson case last year, and a hunt is underway for the criminal gang believed to be responsible.

Jordan Shanks-Markovina, better known as friendlyjordies on his YouTube channel where he has more than a million subscribers, is a political commentator.

Some videos on his channel have featured interviews with prominent politicians, and he has used his platform to advocate for environmental issues, including Australian bushfires.

Shanks-Markovina's home was "firebombed" in November 2022, his lawyers said at the time, according to The Guardian. He was reported as "safe," and the home was vacant at the time of the attack. The home and the neighboring property suffered "significant damage," per The Guardian, but there were no reports of injuries.

Police released security footage of the attack on Wednesday morning, as part of an investigation to find the perpetrators.

The security footage shows two cars at the property — a black 2018 Mercedes C200, and a silver 2013 Ford Falcon. The footage was first shared on the Facebook page of the The New South Wales Police Force.

Police believe the Mercedes to be stolen, according to a press release from NSW Police. They also believe four men were involved in the incident.

Detective chief inspector Richard Puffett described the attacks as deliberate, The Guardian reported, and "by no means" spontaneous.

"I have no doubt that the intent was to create havoc," he said, per The Guardian. "Anyone that's prepared to burn down a residential premises in the middle of the night is looking to harm somebody."

He added that one of the vehicles had cloned license plates, which he described as "a hallmark of these networks."

"We believe the modus operandi of these offenses is distinctly unique to at least one of the organized criminal networks," he said.

Shanks-Markovina's online content is believed to be a possible motive for the attacks.

He spoke to the media after the fire last year, saying he had "a shortlist" in his head of those he thought could be behind the attack, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We've done some extremely dangerous reporting over the last year," he said. "There are many people that would want to do that."

At the time, Shanks-Markovina also announced an indefinite hiatus. He has since returned to his channel, with his latest video focusing on the Australian media's coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.

Business Insider reached out to Shanks-Markovina for comment.