‘Act of terror': Melbourne synagogue set on fire with families inside
Victoria Police alleged a man entered the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Albert St at around 8pm and poured flammable liquid over the front door before setting it alight then fleeing on foot.
'Everyone inside self-evacuated through the rear of the building and there have been no reports of injuries,' Victoria Police said in a statement.
'Firefighters attended and extinguished the fire which was contained to the front entrance.
'Police are still working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the fire, including the motivation behind the incident.
'An arson chemist will be attending the scene and police are currently canvassing for CCTV footage.
'There is absolutely no place in our society for antisemitic or hate-based behaviour,' they added.
Police have released an image of the attempted synagogue firebombing suspect, captured just before 8pm on Friday night.
The CCTV shows a man walking past the synagogue's front gate holding what appears to be a dark duffle bag.
'The man depicted is perceived as being Caucasian in appearance, is believed to be aged in his 30s with a beard and long hair,' police said in a statement.
'He is pictured wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants and a black beanie.'
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley branded the attack 'horrifying' in a statement to social media.
'What happened in Melbourne last night was horrifying. A synagogue set alight while families gathered for Shabbat dinner. An Israeli restaurant stormed and terrorised by protesters chanting 'death to the IDF',' she said.
'This is not protest. This is hate. And it has no place in Australia.'
In a separate incident a group of keffiyeh-wearing protesters stormed Jewish-owned restaurant Miznon while reportedly chanting 'death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Force)'.
Footage shows protesters scuffling with staff while knocking over tables as patrons screamed, before police arrived and arrested one man.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission said Friday's attacks were an 'act of terrorism'.
'On Friday night, someone tried to burn Jews alive in their house of worship. On Friday night, a mob hunted them down in the streets. This was terrorism. A synagogue, one of the oldest in the country, was deliberately set on fire while Jewish families were eating together. Had the flames reached further, we would be counting bodies, not blessings,' he said.
'Minutes later, a gang of masked rioters stormed an Israeli restaurant. They came armed with hatred and chairs, chanting 'Death to the IDF' as they smashed windows and terrorised diners.
'Children screamed. Glass shattered. Melbourne, for one night, stopped being a safe place for Jews.'
The global restaurant chain, spearheaded by Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani and his business partner Shachar Segal, first opened its doors in 2011 in Tel Aviv before expanding to Paris, Vienna, Melbourne and New York City.
The restaurant has come under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that Mr Segal was now the official spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Just two days ago, AP reported that American contractors guarding GHF sites in Gaza were firing live ammunition and stun grenades towards Palestinians seeking food.
The United Nations and other aid groups have refused to work with GHF, saying it violates basic humanitarian principles.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher slammed the initiative in May, branding it a 'cynical sideshow'.
'It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip. It is cynical sideshow.'
One in five people in Gaza currently face starvation due to the Israeli blockade of food and aid while 93 per cent are experiencing acute food shortages, according to a UN-backed assessment.
Prices have soared for basics with a 25 kilogram sack of wheat flour now costing between $235 and $520, representing a 3,000 per cent price spike since February.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Feel gross': Dad's fury after discovering Joshua Brown worked at daughter's childcare centre
A Melbourne father has revealed the horrifying moment he realised his child had been in the care of accused pedophile Joshua Brown. Abraham Khoury's daughter attended Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough in Melbourne's north east last year and was horrified when he found a photo of the accused pedophile alongside Mr Khoury's daughter. The image was taken on December 5, which Mr Khoury said he found on the childcare centre's communication app. He claimed neither the childcare centre, nor police, informed him that Mr Brown had allegedly worked at the centre. 'To know that he was there, and we were all kept in the dark about it, no one told us, there was no information available,' Mr Khoury told 9News. 'You're angry, you've been lied to. You feel gross.' Mr Brown has been charged with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at an early education centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023. It's alleged some of the children were as young as five months old. About 1200 children have since been advised to undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The alleged offender worked in 20 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025, with a dedicated website established listing the childcare centres where he worked. The list includes three Milestones Early Leaning Centres in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee and Bundoora. However, the Greensborough centre was not mentioned on the list. Mr Khoury said he was horrified upon seeing the photo of the alleged sex offender with his daughter, and has since taken his child for testing. 'We have to get our child now tested for sexually transmitted diseases,' he said. The Melbourne father said he contacted the Greensborough centre, which is owned by Affinity Education Group, but heard nothing back. He urged for more to be done to protect children while attending early education centres. 'There needs to be reform, there needs to be cameras,' he told the outlet. 'There needs to be just more, because now it's just the bare minimum.' This week, Inspire Early Learning – which operates 16 childcare centres across Victoria and is not among one of the centres where Mr Brown worked – announced it would no longer allow male educators to change nappies or complete toilet duties at its centres. In a letter sent to parents, chief curriculum and quality officer Eleinna Anderson said male staff would still play a 'vital' role in activities and classroom preparation, but said the changes were a necessary step. 'The wellbeing and safety of your children are at the heart of everything we do,' she said per 7News. 'We're writing to share a few important updates to our guidelines around staff interactions with children and team responsibilities – changes made with careful thought and a continued commitment to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all.'
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pacific-Aust 'commonality' important in uncertain times
Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty."
Daily Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Four women charged for allegedly smuggling spicy cocaine into Brisbane
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Four women, including two teenagers, have been charged with allegedly attempting to smuggle 30kg spicy-soaked cocaine into Brisbane. Two 18-year-old Australian girls flew from Hong Kong to Brisbane on July 3 when they were stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers. After examining their four suitcases, officers discovered 30 bricks wrapped in towels, which had been soaked in vinegar and chilli. The two women were stopped by the Australian Border Force. Picture: AFP The ABF alleged the bricks contained white substance, which returned a positive result for cocaine. Police also located and arrested two people in Australia, who they allege provided instructions relating to obtaining passports, airline tickets and accommodation. They allegedly wrapped 30 bricks of cocaine in chilli and vinegar-soaked towels. Picture: AFP They were charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled substance. Picture: AFP Two 18-year-old women were charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled substance. The other women, aged 23 and 21, were charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Two other women were arrested in connection to the alleged failed import. Picture: AFP All four women appeared before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday July 4. An 18-year-old girl was refused bail and will return to court on July 17. The other three women were granted conditional bail and will return to court on July 18. They will return to court later in July. Picture: AFP ABF Acting Commander Troy Sokoloff said there was no clever way to try and smuggle drugs into the country. 'Working in close partnership with law enforcement partners, the ABF uses world-leading technology, intelligence-led targeting, and the sharp instincts of our well-trained frontline officers to stay one step ahead of criminal syndicates, no matter how clever they think they are,' he said. 'Whether it's a few grams of cocaine in an envelope, or 30 kilograms in a suitcase, the ABF's expertise prevents these harmful substances from making their way into the Australian community, where they can and do cause significant harm.' Originally published as Four women charged for allegedly smuggling spicy cocaine into Brisbane
