A member of the Jewish community affixes an Australian national flag to the front of the damaged Adass Israel Synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea on December 9, 2024. – AFP
Australian police announced on Monday that they are searching for three suspects in connection with an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, which has been classified as a terrorist act. According to police, masked attackers set the Adass Israel Synagogue on fire before dawn on Friday, causing extensive damage to the building. Although some congregants were inside the single-storey building at the time, no serious injuries were reported. The incident has drawn international condemnation, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Victorian police chief commissioner Shane Patton revealed at a news conference that they have "three suspects in that matter, who we are pursuing." Patton noted that investigations over the weekend had made "significant progress" but declined to provide further details of the operation. Following a meeting on Monday involving officials from federal and state police, as well as Australia's intelligence agency, it was concluded that the fire was "likely a terrorist incident." "Based on that, I am very confident that we now have had an attack, a terrorist attack on that synagogue," Patton stated. Counter-terrorism police have since joined the investigation.
Under Australian law, a terrorist act is defined as one that causes death, injury, or serious property damage to advance a political, religious, or ideological cause and is aimed at intimidating the public or a government. This official designation allows for additional resources from other federal agencies to be allocated to the investigation, according to Australian National University terrorism researcher Michael Zekulin. "Basically you get additional resources that you might not otherwise get," he explained to AFP.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has strongly condemned the fire as an "outrage," describing it as an act of terrorism and highlighting a "worrying rise in anti-Semitism" in Australia. The conflict in Gaza has led to protests from both supporters of Israel and Palestinians in cities across Australia, mirroring global trends. Netanyahu criticized the Australian government over the incident, stating, "This heinous act cannot be separated from the anti-Israel sentiment emanating from the Australian Labor government." His comments followed Australia's vote for a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding the end of Israel's "unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." New Zealand, Britain, and Canada were among the 157 countries that voted in favor of the resolution, with eight against.
Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus rejected Netanyahu's accusation, stating, "He's absolutely wrong. I respectfully disagree with Mr. Netanyahu." Dreyfus emphasized that "Australia remains a close friend of Israel, as we have been since the Labor government recognized the State of Israel when it was created by the United Nations. Now that remains the position."
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