A man accused of setting fire to a synagogue in Australia while worshippers were dining inside has been arrested and charged, police have confirmed, reports RTE.
The 34-yr-old suspect allegedly ignited the front door of a busy Melbourne synagogue on Friday night, while around 20 people were inside sharing a meal in observance of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.
The incident has received widespread condemnation from both the Australian and Israeli prime ministers, reports RTE.
Police in Victoria have charged the man with multiple offences, including reckless conduct endangering life.
“Detectives will continue to examine the intent and ideology of the person charged to determine if the incident is in fact terrorism,” police said in a statement, reports RTE.
Those inside the synagogue escaped unharmed via the back exit before firefighters managed to put out the flames.
Authorities said they have not yet established any connection between this event and two other incidents involving Jewish individuals in Melbourne on the same night, reports RTE.
One incident involved a group of roughly 20 demonstrators who stormed an Israeli-owned restaurant, disrupting dinner service while chanting at customers.
Local media reported that protesters overturned tables and broke a window during the disturbance, reports RTE.
In a separate part of the city, cars were found burned and marked with anti-Semitic graffiti in a third incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the synagogue fire as a “cowardly” act of violence.
“And the fact that people were having a peaceful dinner, and (were) disrupted by this act of violence could have had catastrophic consequences,” he said in a statement, reports RTE.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack “reprehensible” and also condemned the restaurant incident as a “violent assault”.
“We demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law and prevent similar attacks in the future,” he said, reports RTE.
Jewish communities in both Melbourne and Sydney have recently been targeted in a series of anti-Semitic attacks.
In December, masked individuals firebombed a different synagogue in Melbourne, prompting the federal government to establish a task force focused on tackling antisemitism, reports RTE.
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