Disturbing find at firebombed Adass Israel Synagogue triggers fresh police investigation as Anthony Albanese is slammed over the one phrase he wont say
An undischarged bullet has been found outside a firebombed Melbourne mosque, sparking a new police investigation into the shocking incident.
An undischarged bullet has been found outside a firebombed Melbourne mosque, sparking a new police investigation into the shocking incident.
The Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea, Melbournes south-east, was set alight around 4am on Friday morning as worshippers gathered for prayers.
Two people suffered injuries following the attack, which Victoria Police believe was a targeted incident.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed a single 9mm bullet was found on the footpath outside the synagogue just before 5pm on Saturday.
The item will be examined and the exact circumstances surrounding it are being investigated, she told the Herald Sun.
All avenues of enquiry are being explored, it is too early to say if there is any connection at this stage.
The discovery comes after Opposition leader ripped into prime minister Anthony Albanese and accused him of being slow to stamp out anti-Semitism as pressure mounts on him to label it as terrorism.
(The synagogue fire) should never have happened, and nobody should be surprised by the fact that it has happened, which is part of the tragedy, he told Sky News on Sunday.
An undischarged bullet has been found outside a firebombed Melbourne mosque, sparking a new police investigation into the shocking incident
Locals were seen placing floral tributes at the site of the firebombing over the weekend with more than 1,000 people expected to visit the synagogue on Sunday to demonstrate against anti-Semitism
This is an act of terrorism, pure and simple, and I think the Prime Ministers deliberate decision to seek political advantage over the course of last 12 months on this issue and play to a domestic audience of Green voters, I think, has been deplorable and one of the worst things Ive ever seen in public life.
Locals were seen placing floral tributes at the site of the firebombing over the weekend with more than 1,000 people expected to visit the synagogue on Sunday to demonstrate against anti-Semitism.
Police are hunting two masked men in connection with the attack that left worshippers fleeing the burning building while trying to save precious religious artefacts such as ancient handwritten parchment scrolls and Torahs (the first five books of the Jewish Bible).
Two people suffered burns and several windows were smashed with several parts of the exterior damaged by the inferno, which gutted two of the three buildings of the synagogue.
The building has been barricaded behind large steel fences where floral tributes and messages of support have been laid by member of the public.
Victorian Police have assured the Jewish community they will increase patrols around synagogues.
Former Liberal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost Jewish family members during the Holocaust, said on Saturday Mr Albanese must declare the attack on the synagogue an act of domestic terrorism.
There was a firebombing at a place of worship with people inside, who have been injured as a result and the legislation is very clear, Mr Frydenberg said.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen had to cut a press conference short at the firebombed synagogue as she came under sustained questioning by Jewish advocated Menachem Vorchheimer
Mr Frydenberg, who served as the previous member for the seat of Kooyong where the synagogue is located, also demanded Mr Albanese implement a national police taskforce to curb anti-Semitism and launch a judicial inquiry into Australian education institutions.
Please prime minister, see what is happening and act. You and your ministers need to step up, not step back from the challenges we face, he said.
He claimed the Prime Minister had let it come to this where the Australian Jewish community lives in fear... where anti-Semitism has become normalised.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry chief Alex Ryvchin also said the Prime Minister should reflect on how it has come to this.
For over a year we have seen racist mobs impeding on the rights and freedoms of ordinary Australians, he said.
We have been locked out of parts of our cities because the police could not ensure our safety.
Students have been told to stay away from campuses.
Jewish leaders have been urging Mr Albanese show stronger support for support for Israel amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Australia broke with its longstanding position to vote in favour of a UN resolution demanding Israel rapidly end its occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the synagogue firebombing to the UN vote in a statement on X.
Mr Netanyahu said the arson attack was an abhorrent act of anti-Semitism and he hoped state authorities would use their full weight to prevent such anti-Semitic acts in the future.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, he said.
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.
Anti-Israel sentiment is anti-Semitism.
