Melbourne [Australia], December 6 : Police in Melbourne are searching for two masked individuals who were caught spreading accelerant inside the Adass Israel Synagogue before it erupted into flames early Friday morning.
The suspected anti-Semitic arson attack, which left one worshipper injured, has been widely condemned by Jewish organisations and Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. CNN reported.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. at the synagogue in southern Melbourne, where overnight prayers are a regular occurrence. Worshippers were forced to flee through a back door as the blaze rapidly engulfed the building.
Benjamin Klein, a board member of the synagogue, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), "There was banging on the door, some liquid was thrown inside and was lit alight. The few people inside the synagogue ran outside the back door. One of them got burned." Klein further described how "the whole place took alight pretty quickly."
Victoria Police have confirmed that the attack was deliberate, and officers from the Arson and Explosives Squad are investigating. Detective Inspector Chris Murray said the synagogue appeared to have been "targeted" but refrained from labelling the act as terrorism, stating, "We're not ruling anything in or out."
He also expressed concern over rising anti-Semitic incidents, saying he was "personally worried" about the trend, reported CNN.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned the attack, calling it an assault on Australia's values of religious freedom and safety. "This violence and intimidation at a place of worship is an outrage," he stated. "This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community."
The incident has reignited discussions about the alarming rise in anti-Semitic behaviour across Australia. Jewish organisations have attributed the increase to heightened tensions following the outbreak of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, said he was "outraged but not at all surprised" by the attack, adding that warnings about escalating antisemitism had gone unheeded. Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, condemned the fire as "an act of disgusting violence," stating, "No one should be unsafe in a place of worship."
This is not the first such incident in the area. In July, two individuals were charged for an arson attack on the office of Josh Burns, a Jewish federal parliamentarian. In response to these developments, Albanese's government has appointed a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism and a Special Envoy on Social Cohesion to address the growing divide between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups in Australia, CNN reported.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue to come forward.
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