Australia Arsonists set fire to synagogue in Melbourne suburb
In Australia, arsonists wearing masks have set fire to a synagogue in a suburb of Melbourne, according to police. The fire broke out before dawn on Friday (local time), police said.
06.12.2024, 01:54
SDA
The synagogue in Ripponlea was "significantly damaged". There were already people in the building at the time, but no serious injuries were reported.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident. "This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is a scandal," Albanese said.
"This attack has put lives at risk and is clearly aimed at inciting fear in the community," Albanese said. He had "zero tolerance" for anti-Semitism. "It has absolutely no place in Australia."
Police assume the attack was premeditated
An eyewitness who had come to the synagogue for morning prayers had seen "two people wearing masks", a spokesman for the Victoria Police Arson and Explosives Unit told reporters at the scene. "They appeared to be spreading some sort of accelerant around the premises." The synagogue went up in flames, he said. "We believe it was deliberate. We believe it was targeted. What we don't know is why," the spokesman continued.
Television images showed firefighters extinguishing pockets of embers through the door of the building during their operation.
A member of the synagogue's community council said a few people had been sitting in the synagogue praying when the fire broke out. They heard loud bangs, then liquid was poured into the building and set on fire, Klein continued. The people praying ran out of the back of the synagogue and one man burned his hand. "The fire was extensive," the member of the community council told the AFP news agency. "The inside is completely burnt out."
