Overseas criminal suspects in synagogue firebombing
The overseas investigations were confirmed after Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) on Wednesday arrested a Werribee man, 21, as part of an ongoing investigation into the firebombing in Ripponlea on December 6, 2024.
Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators were working with Australia's Five Eyes security partners to ensure 'our collective powers and capabilities are drawn upon', but would not answer questions about which countries they believed the attack's masterminds were based in.
'Our investigation is not limited to Australia. It involves exploring criminals offshore, and we suspect these criminals worked with criminal associates in Victoria to carry out the arson attack,' Barrett said.
Five Eyes is a multinational intelligence sharing network which includes Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
The AFP deputy also said authorities were investigating links to exiled tobacco kingpin Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad.
'That is a name that has come up in our investigation, and that remains one of our ongoing lines of inquiry,' Barrett said.
Victoria Police allege the 21-year-old Werribee man was one of three individuals who broke into the Ripponlea synagogue and set the fire, but would not divulge if they believed he was involved in orchestrating the attack, or if he was a low-level criminal hired to carry it out.
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