Fresh clue to solving synagogue firebombing attack
A stolen car used by criminals in an alleged "politically motivated" synagogue firebombing has been linked to two previous arsons and a shooting.
Terrorism investigators on Thursday released a series of images of the crooks believed to be responsible for the Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack in December and other serious crimes in Victoria.
Two of the synagogue's three buildings in Ripponlea, in Melbourne's southeast, were gutted in the fire that erupted in the early hours of December 6, deeming the arson a likely a politically-motivated attack.
Inside at the time were two congregants preparing for morning prayers who escaped, with one suffering minor injuries.
Photos and CCTV footage released by counter-terror police shows a blue Volkswagen Golf 2020 sedan driving past the synagogue multiple times before parking outside the main entrance.
Three people donning hoodies and masks are seen getting out of the vehicle and using an axe to damage the entrance of the building before pouring at least two liquids from a red jerry can inside the entrance and enter the synagogue.
Vision shows the alleged criminals returning to the car multiple times to get more jerry cans, which were poured inside the synagogue before the liquid was ignited.
They fled after the synagogue went up in flames in the direction towards the western suburbs.
Police allege the blue Golf is a stolen car which was used in an arson and shooting in Bundoora on the same night before the synagogue attack and an arson on the Lux nightclub in South Yarra in November.
Arson detectives on Thursday arrested two Pakenham men, aged 22 and 23, over the suspicious nightclub fire which caused more than $10 million worth of damage.
Police seized the car, which was stolen from a driveway in Croydon in November and had cloned number plates in 2024, and are not considering the Bundoora and South Yarra incidents politically-motivated attacks.
Counter-terror officers collected and combed through CCTV from more than 1400 locations and believe multiple offenders are directly and indirectly linked to the synagogue arson, AFP Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt said.
"This is no normal crime and that is why it is being investigated by the JCTT with the full force and capability of Victoria Police, the AFP and ASIO," he said.
He urged the "extremely violent" individuals to come forward.
Victoria Police Counter Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh said the synagogue attack impacted Victorians' feeling of safety and left people feeling deeply shocked, saddened and concerned.
"There is no doubt that this blue VW Golf sedan is key," she said.
"We need assistance from the public as we attempt to identify those who have been using this vehicle and what they have been involved in, and we know there are people out there who can supply this information."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Probe into Indigenous man's death after airport custody
An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It's the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following that of young Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White on May 27 after he was restrained by plain-clothes NT officers in an Alice Springs supermarket. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining a flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday and NT Police said his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," territory police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." An AFP spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday individuals in protective custody are not under arrest and the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". The AFP confirmed the man was detained under the public intoxication section of the NT Police Administration Act. The man was taken to hospital so he could be "monitored while sobering up" and he presented no medical concerns while being transported, the spokesperson said. But when he arrived at the hospital he "experienced a sudden and serious medical episode" and lost consciousness. The officers involved are being supported by AFP welfare officers. NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. In the case of Mr White, rallies continue across the country to demand justice, calling for an independent inquiry into his death. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It's the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following that of young Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White on May 27 after he was restrained by plain-clothes NT officers in an Alice Springs supermarket. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining a flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday and NT Police said his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," territory police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." An AFP spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday individuals in protective custody are not under arrest and the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". The AFP confirmed the man was detained under the public intoxication section of the NT Police Administration Act. The man was taken to hospital so he could be "monitored while sobering up" and he presented no medical concerns while being transported, the spokesperson said. But when he arrived at the hospital he "experienced a sudden and serious medical episode" and lost consciousness. The officers involved are being supported by AFP welfare officers. NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. In the case of Mr White, rallies continue across the country to demand justice, calling for an independent inquiry into his death. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It's the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following that of young Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White on May 27 after he was restrained by plain-clothes NT officers in an Alice Springs supermarket. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining a flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday and NT Police said his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," territory police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." An AFP spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday individuals in protective custody are not under arrest and the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". The AFP confirmed the man was detained under the public intoxication section of the NT Police Administration Act. The man was taken to hospital so he could be "monitored while sobering up" and he presented no medical concerns while being transported, the spokesperson said. But when he arrived at the hospital he "experienced a sudden and serious medical episode" and lost consciousness. The officers involved are being supported by AFP welfare officers. NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. In the case of Mr White, rallies continue across the country to demand justice, calling for an independent inquiry into his death. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It's the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following that of young Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White on May 27 after he was restrained by plain-clothes NT officers in an Alice Springs supermarket. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining a flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday and NT Police said his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," territory police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." An AFP spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday individuals in protective custody are not under arrest and the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". The AFP confirmed the man was detained under the public intoxication section of the NT Police Administration Act. The man was taken to hospital so he could be "monitored while sobering up" and he presented no medical concerns while being transported, the spokesperson said. But when he arrived at the hospital he "experienced a sudden and serious medical episode" and lost consciousness. The officers involved are being supported by AFP welfare officers. NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. In the case of Mr White, rallies continue across the country to demand justice, calling for an independent inquiry into his death. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Indigenous man dies after airport apprehension
An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It is the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following the death of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White, who died on May 27 after being restrained by plain-clothes NT police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining the flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday. Police told the ABC the man was Aboriginal and his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." NT Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. The AFP said in a statement on Sunday that the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Rallies continue across the country to demand justice for Kumanjayi White. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It is the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following the death of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White, who died on May 27 after being restrained by plain-clothes NT police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining the flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday. Police told the ABC the man was Aboriginal and his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." NT Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. The AFP said in a statement on Sunday that the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Rallies continue across the country to demand justice for Kumanjayi White. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It is the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following the death of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White, who died on May 27 after being restrained by plain-clothes NT police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining the flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday. Police told the ABC the man was Aboriginal and his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." NT Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. The AFP said in a statement on Sunday that the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Rallies continue across the country to demand justice for Kumanjayi White. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Indigenous man has died in hospital after federal police stopped him from boarding a plane for allegedly being intoxicated, with a death-in-custody investigation underway. It is the second death in custody in a fortnight in the Northern Territory, following the death of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi White, who died on May 27 after being restrained by plain-clothes NT police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs. On May 30, a 68-year-old was prevented from joining the flight out of Darwin after federal officers received reports of him being intoxicated, Northern Territory Police said in a statement. He was taken into protective custody and driven to the Palmerston Watchhouse where the custody sergeant and nurse deemed it necessary to take him to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the hospital federal officers noticed the man had lost consciousness, prompting medical staff to immediately commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition for ongoing treatment for what was a suspected medical event, NT Police said. The man died in the ICU on Saturday. Police told the ABC the man was Aboriginal and his next of kin had been notified. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a post mortem (examination)," police said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." NT Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. The AFP said in a statement on Sunday that the man was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Rallies continue across the country to demand justice for Kumanjayi White. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
French woman allegedly concealed 10kg of meth in suitcase
A young French woman allegedly concealed 10kg of methamphetamine in her suitcase on a flight from Paris to Perth. The 18-year-old was travelling from Paris when Australian Border Force officers selected her for a baggage examination at Perth Airport. A white crystalline substance was allegedly found in five sealed plastic pouches inside her suitcase. The substance tested positive for methamphetamine during initial testing, with an estimated weight of 10.7kg. Her phone, suitcase and its contents were seized by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with police to allege she'd planned to travel to Sydney. She was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, of which there is a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. AFP Inspector Matt Taylor said 'criminal activities are not welcome in this country'. 'The AFP's aim is to disrupt all levels of the drug trade and the criminals attempting to profit at the expense and suffering of the Australian community,' Inspector Taylor said. 'Even in small amounts, drugs such as methamphetamine cause immense harm to users and the community around them, through the impact on the health care system and associated crime. 'Our message is simple to anyone involved in the drug trade – your criminal activities are not welcome in this country.' The young woman fronted Northbridge Magistrates court on April 26 where she was remanded to reappear on Friday.
