Overview
- The third suspect, a 20-year-old man from Airport West, was charged on Friday with criminal damage by fire, conduct endangering life and theft of a motor vehicle and is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court next week.
- Authorities will allege the man and two others forced entry to the Adass Israel Synagogue on December 6, 2024, and deliberately set the blaze that gutted two buildings while worshippers were inside.
- Two other men — a 20-year-old from Melton South and a 21-year-old from Werribee — were charged earlier and remain before the courts on related offences.
- AFP Assistant Commissioner Peter Crozier and Victoria Police say investigators believe some people lied to the Joint Counter Terrorism Team and they are urging anyone with information to come forward as they pursue further arrests.
- The synagogue will stay closed until at least 2029 as rebuild planning continues and political leaders including the prime minister have publicly condemned the attack as terrorism and anti‑Semitic violence.