melbourne – Australian police said Monday they were searching for three suspects in an arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue, calling it an act of terrorism. Masked attackers set fire to the Adas Israel Synagogue before daylight on Friday, destroying much of the building, police said. Some congregations were in single-story construction over the years, although a number of serious accidents were reported.
The fire drew global condemnation, including from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Victorian Police Commissioner Shane Patton told an information conference that police had “three suspects in that case who we are pursuing.”
“Significant progress” was made in the investigation over the weekend, Patton said, declining to provide additional highlights of the operation.
Martin Keep/AFP/Getty
Federal and state police, as well as officials from Australia’s conscience agency, met on Monday and concluded that the fire was “likely a terrorist incident”, police said.
“Based on that, I am confident that we have a terrorist attack on that synagogue,” Patton said.
Australia’s response to anti-Semitism is “escalating”
Anti-terrorism police have joined the investigation. Under Australian law, a terrorist is a person who causes death, shock or harm of serious quality for a political, religious or ideological purpose and is intended to intimidate the community or a central authority.
Michael Zekulin, a terrorism researcher at the Australian National University, said the official designation secured assistance from various federal agencies for the investigation.
“Basically you get additional resources that you probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” he told AFP.
Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security and Understanding Group, said there was unconfirmed data to show that further attacks were likely and that Australia’s terror blackmail analysis remained at the “likely” level.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has condemned the synagogue attack as an “outrage”, has announced the launch of a federal police taskforce antisemitism,
“Anti-Semitism is a major threat and anti-Semitism is on the rise,” Albanese told an information conference, raising the issue of the fire and current vandalism at the synagogue.
Officials said the taskforce will be composed of federal police who will be deployed across the country as needed. They will focus on warnings, violence and hatred against Jewish mobs and MPs.
The conflict in Gaza has sparked protests by Israel supporters and Palestinian crowds in cities around Australia. As in most parts of the world,
In January, Australian lawmakers initiated a series of new laws To become aware of the increase in anti-Semitic acts in the community, including banning the display of Nazi salutes and the display or sale of Nazi disliked symbols such as the swastika. The new rules also make it a crime to glorify or praise acts of terrorism.
Australian Lawyer-Common Mark Dreyfus said at that time The rules “sent a clear message: there is no place in Australia for acts and symbols that glorify the horrors of genocide and terrorist acts.”
Israeli, Australian leaders “respectfully disagree” on definition of anti-Semitism
Netanyahu came under fire by attacking the Australian government’s stance.
“This heinous act cannot be separated from the anti-Israel sentiment emanating from the Australian Labor government,” he said, noting ahead of the attack that “anti-Israel sentiment is anti-Semitism.”
Australia subsequently voted in favor of a response to the United Nations General Assembly, which sought to curb Israel’s “unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory”.
New Zealand, Britain and Canada were among the 157 countries that voted for the resolution, while 8 countries, including the US, voted against it.
Australian attorney-general Mark Dreyfus denied Netanyahu’s allegations.
“He is absolutely wrong. I respectfully disagree with Mr. Netanyahu,” Dreyfus told national broadcaster ABC on Monday. “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. That remains the position now.”
