Melbourne's escalating pub wars: Fears patrons could get caught in crossfire

0:00Is 7 News with Peter Mitchell. Good evening, police are tackling teenage fire bombers head on, setting up a new task force to end Melbourne's hospitality wars before someone's killed. The young thugs for hire are earning up to $20,000 per job, but detectives say they have no idea who's ordering the attacks. A new crime wave that has police terrified. The potential for death is real here, and we, for that reason, have established operation eclipse. To find out who is pulling the strings in an elaborate and almost knightly wave of arson attacks, kidnappings and gun violence. You know, my biggest nightmare is that there are people inside that venue and they're protracts. It is here to the second attempt this month on Southbank restaurant left bank.

1:01Youth with Bella Clover's Jerry Canes were arrested on the spot. Police alleged two 16-year-old boys were found at the venue early yesterday with a stolen car, two Jerry Canes full of petrol and a sledgehammer. A dive into the kid's phones allegedly uncovered searchers on ways, Apple and Google maps to left bank, and a chain of messages on encrypted app signal. And three in the morning from an alleged recruiter saying, yo, what's the ETA on left bank? Make sure you record it or we don't get paid. Then later, yo, updates, a missed call and two more messages asking, what's the update? Answer your phone. What happened? The duo were denied bail. It's their first time in custody. The odds are getting caught are high. Police today confirmed that children are being paid between $520,000 to commit these hits. 15 of the arrests so far have all been foot soldiers, detectives, determined to find out who the king pins are.

2:02Everything is on the table, whether it's conflict within the industry, whether it's a illicit alcohol, nothing's ruled yet.