A fire at the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is being treated as a terrorist attack, Australian police said.
The search is on for three suspects because of the fire that broke out in the early hours of Friday, which left one man with a minor wound on his hand and caused a lot of damage.
Eyewitnesses said they saw masked people spreading what appeared to be a volatile substance on the building, before setting it on fire.
Victoria Police say they have no evidence of further antisemitic attacks being planned, but are increasing patrols to reassure the public.
After meeting with the Australian Federal Police and domestic intelligence agency Asio, state police said additional “intelligence” led them to conclude the incident should be treated as a possible terrorist attack.
Commissioner Shane Patton said the police did not have enough information before the fire to indicate that it was imminent.
He declined to provide further details about the investigation while it is still ongoing.
Mr Patton’s announcement came a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as “clear terrorism” while admitting that police were still making decisions. He called his explanation “human opinion”.
On Monday, provincial Premier Jacinta Allan said the designation of terrorists means the police will have more resources in their investigations.
Jewish community leaders say they believe the attack is an escalation of the recent rise in antisemitism in Australia, and that it has fueled fears of violence.
Several worshipers were inside the building at the time of the fire, and have described hearing a noise and seeing a window shatter, before liquid was thrown inside and set on fire.
“The whole thing started very quickly,” synagogue board member Benjamin Klein, who spoke to witnesses, told the Age newspaper.
After police were at the scene of the incident and were confronted by angry and panicked worshipers on Friday, Mr Patton said the police were focused on ensuring their safety.
“We have…more police deployed in those areas where there are high numbers of Jews living and congregating,” he said.
Allan also called on the city to support its Jewish communities.
“We will not allow this conflict overseas to continue as a moral cloak [this].”
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