Australia condemns arson attack on synagogue in Melbourne

SYDNEY: Australian authorities on Saturday condemned what they said was an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with worshippers in the building, the latest in a spate of incidents against the nation's Jewish community.The fire at the entrance to the synagogue in the east of Victoria's state capital was sparked on Friday night, police said in a statement. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and there were no injuries to the 20 people inside.The attack, one of several recent anti-semitic incidents in Australia, comes seven months after another synagogue in Melbourne was targeted by arsonists who started a blaze that injured one and caused widespread damage.Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday said it was "absolutely appalling" that a second Jewish synagogue had been attacked. "Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of anti-Semitism," Allan said in a statement.Police said they believed the attack, in which flammable liquid was poured on the synagogue's front door and set alight, was carried out by a male suspect.

He has not been identified but is thought to be white and aged in his 30s. There is "no place in our society for anti-semitic or hate-based behaviour," police said. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for Australia's Jews, said in a statement the fire was set as those inside sat down to Shabbat dinner. Authorities said they were probing if the attack was linked to an incident on Friday night at an inner-city restaurant in which one person was arrested for hindering police. The Israeli restaurant was extensively damaged in the incident.(This is a Reuters story)