A synagogue in Melbourne, Australia was set on fire Friday in what authorities believe was a "deliberate" arson attack.
A congregant who arrived early Friday for morning prayer at Adass Israel Synagogue in the town of Ripponlea reportedly witnessed two masked arsonists pouring an accelerant in the building and quickly setting it aflame. The suspects fled the scene and remain on the loose.
"We believe it was deliberate. We believe it has been targeted. What we don’t know is why," Victoria Police Detective Inspector Chris Murray said, according to the Times of Israel.
Flames engulfed the building and caused significant damage. No serious injuries were reported.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a statement condemning the synagogue attack.
"I have zero tolerance for antisemitism. It has absolutely no place in Australia," Albanese wrote. "The violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage… The people involved must be caught and face the full force of the law."
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also released a statement denouncing the "abhorrent act of antisemitism."
"Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel ‘to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible’, and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country. Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism," Netanyahu wrote on X.
