Overview
- A 20-year-old Meadow Heights man was arrested following a raid last week and today charged with arson, conduct endangering life, and theft of a motor vehicle.
- Police allege he was one of three people who broke into the Ripponlea synagogue and lit the blaze, and say two of the three alleged direct offenders are now charged.
- Detectives link a stolen blue Volkswagen Golf to the synagogue attack and an earlier LUX Nightclub firebombing, with separate charges laid over the car theft and the nightclub incident.
- The accused has been remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 27, with the charges carrying potential maximum penalties totalling up to 35 years.
- The Joint Counter Terrorism Team is treating the attack as politically motivated, urging public information as electronic devices seized in the latest search undergo forensic examination.