Anthony Albanese labels Adass Israel Synagogue firebombing an act of terrorism two days after horrific act shocked the country
Anthony Albanese has labelled a synagogue firebombing an act of terrorism two days after the horrifying incident stunned the country.
The Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea, Melbourne’s 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’.
Mr Albanese came under fire for not labelling the attack an act of terrorism immediately following the firebombing with the prime minister finally making the admission on Sunday.
‘My personal opinion is yes (it is terrorism), but there is a technical process,’ he said.
‘Tomorrow, the Victorian police and the Australian Federal Police will be having a meeting.
‘There is a technical process that is agreed in the protocols for designating an event as a terrorist act. That meeting is taking place tomorrow.
‘But if you want my personal view quite clearly, terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community and the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community.
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
‘And therefore, from my personal perspective, (the act) certainly fulfil(s) that definition of terrorism.’
Opposition leader had earlier ripped into Mr Albanese and accused him of being slow to stamp out anti-Semitism.
‘(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.
‘This is an act of terrorism, pure and simple, and I think the Prime Minister’s 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 I’ve 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 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
A Victoria Police spokeswoman revealed 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.’
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.
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’.
