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Australian counterterrorism police have charged a 34-year-old man in connection with an arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue, Reuters reports.

The incident, which occurred on Friday night while approximately 20 worshippers were inside, is the latest in a series of acts targeting Australia's Jewish community.

There were no reported injuries, and firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.

Police stated that the man "allegedly poured a flammable liquid on the front door of the building and set it on fire before fleeing the scene." The suspect, a resident of Sydney, was arrested late Saturday and faced court on Sunday.

Authorities are investigating a potential link between the synagogue fire and a disturbance at a Melbourne Israeli restaurant on the same night, which also sustained extensive damage.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry reported that the synagogue fire took place as congregants were preparing for Shabbat dinner.

Israeli leaders condemned the antisemitic attacks on Saturday night.

President Isaac Herzog said, "I condemn outright the vile arson attack targeting Jews in Melbourne’s historic and oldest synagogue on the Sabbath, and on an Israeli restaurant where people had come to enjoy a meal together. It is intolerable that in 2025, we are still faced with the chilling image of an attempt to burn Jews alive as they pray, and attacks on Jewish businesses."

“This is not the first such attack in Australia in recent months. But it must be the last. Australian authorities must take all steps necessary to protect their Jewish citizens. Antisemitism is a stain on any society, and must be confronted with urgency and resolve," he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "I strongly condemn the antisemitic attacks that took place last night in Melbourne, including the attempted arson of a synagogue and a violent attack on an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters."

"These despicable antisemitic attacks, accompanied by calls of 'death to the IDF' and attempts to harm a place of worship, are serious hate crimes that must be eradicated at their root.”

"The State of Israel will continue to stand by the Jewish community in Australia, and we demand that the Australian government take all necessary steps to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent such attacks in the future."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also denounced the alleged arson as "shocking" and vowed his government would "provide all necessary support toward this effort," emphasizing that those responsible should "face the law's full force."

Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 2023 start of the Israel-Gaza war.

In early December, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed, in an incident that is being treated as an act of terrorism.

Days later, a car was set on fire, and two properties were vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, which has a substantial Jewish population.

In another incident, the words "F— the Jews" were spray-painted on a car in Sydney.

In early January, the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah, a suburb of the city, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

A day later, the Newtown synagogue, located in Sydney’s inner west, was vandalized with red swastikas that were spray-painted across the building’s front wall.

In another incident, a home in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, was vandalized.

In February, a video surfaced of two Australian nurses, Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, stating they would refuse to treat Israelis and would send them “to hell”.

As a result of the video, the two have been banned from working with or providing services to participants of the country’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for two years.