Australia: PM denounces synagogue arson attack – DW – 07/05/2025
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday labeled as "cowardly" an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.
Police are searching for a man who set the front door of the building ablaze on Friday night as around 20 people ate dinner inside.
Australia is facing a growing wave of antisemitic incidents since the Israel-Gaza war started in late 2023.
In a statement, the prime minister said: "Last night's arson attack on the synagogue in east Melbourne is cowardly, is an act of violence and antisemitism, and has no place in Australian society."
Albanese said he hoped the perpetrator would be swiftly brought to justice and "that he faces the full force of the law, and anyone involved in this attack faces the full force of the law."
Police said a man doused the double front doors of the downtown East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and set it alight around 8 p.m. on Friday night.
The worshippers, who were sharing a meal to mark the Shabbat Jewish day of rest, evacuated through a rear door and no one was injured, the police statement continued.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which was contained to the front entrance, police added.
Victoria state police said they were investigating the "intent and ideology" of the perpetrator.
Police said they believed the perpetrator was a white male, aged in his 30s.
Authorities said they were probing if the attack was linked to an incident on Friday night at an inner-city restaurant in which one person was arrested for hindering police.
The Israeli restaurant was extensively damaged, according to reports.
Acting Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan described the synagogue attack as a serious crime.
"I'd like to make it very clear that we do recognize that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent. But at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident," Dunstan told reporters.
A terrorism declaration opens the investigation to more resourcing and can result in charges that carry longer prison sentences.
Jewish neighborhoods in Melbourne and Sydney have been hit by a wave of antisemitic vandalism since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, 2023.
Homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles have been targeted.
The incidents have included a fake plan set up by organized crime to attack a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives to divert police resources, authorities said in March.
Last December, two masked men struck the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne's southeast, causing extensive damage by spreading a liquid accelerant with brooms throughout the building before igniting it.
A worshipper sustained minor burns.
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