MELBOURNE, Australia — A third person has been charged in connection with the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue that Australian officials allege was orchestrated by Iran.
According to a police statement, the newly charged suspect is a 20-year-old man who was among three masked individuals who broke into the Adass Israel Synagogue in the early morning hours of December 6, 2024. The group reportedly soaked the inside of the building with flammable liquid before setting it on fire. The blaze caused extensive damage to the synagogue, and one worshipper suffered minor injuries.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team — a combined force of federal and state police working alongside an intelligence agency — filed the charges against the man, whose identity has not been released. He was charged while already being held in a Melbourne jail on separate, unrelated offenses, which police declined to specify.
His two co-defendants were arrested last year. Giovanni Laulu, 21, was taken into custody in July, followed by Younes Ali Younes, 20, who was arrested the following month.
Australia’s Prime Minister last year publicly accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of being behind both the synagogue fire and a separate arson attack on a Sydney kosher restaurant called Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, which occurred roughly two months earlier.
The director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the country’s primary domestic intelligence agency, stated that the Revolutionary Guard relied on a “complex web of proxies to hide its involvement” in both antisemitic attacks.
In response, Iran’s ambassador to Australia and three other Iranian diplomats were expelled from the country. Iran has denied the allegations made by Australian officials.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Crozier told reporters Friday that investigators are continuing to work with international partners as the probe moves forward. Authorities are also looking into whether the three alleged arsonists had any knowledge of who ordered the attack.
“They may not actually be aware of the people who are directing or the principals of these investigations. That remains a key line of inquiry for us,” Crozier said.
Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul O’Halloran said the local Jewish community was notified of the third arrest before it was announced publicly.
“Our heart goes out to them. Again, this brings back this terrible incident,” O’Halloran said. “People deserve the right to feel safe and be safe in their community and particularly at their place of worship. Today’s charges are a strong testament to this,” he added.
The latest suspect is expected to make his first court appearance on the new charges next week.
Separately, the Australian government has launched a public inquiry into a growing wave of antisemitism across the country, which includes the fatal shooting of 15 people when two gunmen opened fire on a Sydney Hanukkah gathering in December.
