A fire at Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue has been deemed a “likely” terror attack by Australian police, who are hunting three suspects over the incident. The early-morning blaze left one man with minor burns and caused extensive damage.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing masked figures spreading an accelerant in the building before setting it alight. Victoria Police have increased patrols to reassure the community after a meeting with federal police and domestic spy agency ASIO revealed additional intelligence pointing towards a terror attack.
Commissioner Shane Patton said there was no prior indication of an imminent arson attack, but police were focusing on ensuring public safety. The incident has heightened fears of violence in Australia’s Jewish community, which has seen an increase in antisemitic incidents recently.
The Prime Minister described the fire as “terrorism” and announced a new federal strikeforce to investigate incidents of antisemitism. A special response is needed to combat the rising threat, following recent incidents such as vandalism of a Jewish MP’s office and an attack in Sydney where a car was torched and buildings were graffitied.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmn74m1jkpo