As an arsonist set fire to a synagogue, children played inside, metres from the flames
Witnesses who were inside the East Melbourne synagogue at the time of the attack by a lone arsonist describe how the child of one of the congregants was the first to see and smell smoke coming through the bottom of the door at about 8pm.
Toddlers were playing in the synagogue while Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, synagogue president Danny Segal and congregants who had earlier attended the Shabbat service sat down to dinner in a hall at the rear of the building.
Gutnick said this was the usual Friday night scene at the synagogue, one of Melbourne's oldest places of worship and the only synagogue located on the edge of the CBD.
'There were children right here in the synagogue playing – two-year-old kids,' he said.
'This is a family synagogue. There were families here. That is the really scary thing. They could have opened the door to a person who clearly had bigger plans.'
There were about 20 people inside the building when the fire was lit. None were injured by the attack.
Gutnick has viewed security footage of the attack and said it showed one unidentified attacker using accelerant to set fire to the front door of the Albert Street synagogue. He said the attacker appeared well-prepared, and the attack planned.
He said local firefighters, who were alerted by a passerby before anyone inside the synagogue was aware of the fire, reacted quickly and contained the flames before they spread through the heritage building.
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