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Man Charged Over East Melbourne Synagogue Firebombing After Counter-Terrorism Probe

Victoria Police are examining extremist motives behind the synagogue blaze.

Overview

  • Victoria’s Joint Counter-Terrorism Security Investigation Unit arrested a 34-year-old man from Sydney and charged him with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, criminal damage by fire and possession of a controlled weapon.
  • Police allege the suspect doused the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s double front doors with flammable liquid around 8 p.m. on July 4 during Shabbat dinner, forcing about 20 worshippers to evacuate through a rear exit without injury.
  • Authorities continue to treat the attack as a serious criminal incident while probing ideological motives and have not formally declared it a terrorist act.
  • On the same night, around 20 masked protesters stormed the Israeli restaurant Miznon in Melbourne’s CBD chanting “Death to the IDF,” and a separate early-morning firebombing in Greensborough targeted three vehicles.
  • Political and community leaders from Premier Jacinta Allan to the Council of AustralianAustralian Jewry have called for expedited hate-crime legislation and stronger protections for Jewish institutions.