An unfired bullet has been found outside a firebombed mosque in Melbourne, sparking a new police investigation into the shocking incident.
The Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, in Melbourne’s south-east, was set on fire at around 4am on Friday morning as worshipers gathered for prayers.
Two people were injured after the attack, which Victoria Police said was a “targeted incident”.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed that a single 9mm bullet was found on the footpath outside the synagogue just before 5pm on Saturday.
“The item will be investigated and the exact circumstances surrounding it will be investigated,” she told the newspaper Herald Sun.
‘All research possibilities are being explored. It is too early to say if there is a link at this stage.’
The discovery comes after the opposition leader attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of being slow to stamp out anti-Semitism, amid mounting pressure on him to label it “terrorism”.
“(The synagogue fire) should never have happened, and no one should be surprised by the fact that it happened, which is part of the tragedy,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
An unfired bullet has been found outside a firebombed mosque in Melbourne, sparking a new police investigation into the shocking incident
Locals were seen paying floral tributes at the site of the firebombing over the weekend. More than 1,000 people were expected to visit the synagogue on Sunday to demonstrate against anti-Semitism
“This is an act of terror, pure and simple, and I think the Prime Minister’s deliberate decision over the past 12 months to gain political advantage on this issue and appeal to a domestic audience of Green voters has been regrettable. and one of the worst things I have ever seen in public life.”
Locals were seen paying floral tributes at the site of the firebombing over the weekend. More than 1,000 people were expected to visit the synagogue on Sunday to demonstrate against anti-Semitism.
Police are hunting two masked men in connection with the attack that saw worshipers flee the burning building while trying to rescue precious religious artifacts such as ancient handwritten parchment scrolls and Torah (the first five books of the Jewish Bible).
Two people suffered burns and several windows were smashed and several parts of the exterior were damaged by the inferno, which destroyed two of the synagogue’s three buildings.
The building is barricaded behind large steel fences where the public has left floral tributes and messages of support.
Victorian police have assured the Jewish community they will increase patrols around synagogues.
Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost Jewish relatives during the Holocaust, said Saturday that Albanese should declare the attack on the synagogue an act of domestic terrorism.
“There was a firebomb attack on a place of worship with people inside who were injured and the law is very clear,” Mr Frydenberg said.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen had to interrupt a press conference at the firebombed synagogue when she was persistently questioned by Jewish advocate Menachem Vorchheimer
Mr Frydenberg, a former member of the seat of Kooyong where the synagogue is located, also demanded Mr Albanese set up a national police task force to curb anti-Semitism and launch a judicial investigation into Australian educational institutions.
“Please Prime Minister, watch what is happening and act. You and your ministers must step up and not shy away from the challenges we face,” he said.
He claimed that the Prime Minister had ‘let it get to this point’ where the ‘The Australian Jewish community lives in fear… where anti-Semitism has been normalised.”
Alex Ryvchin, the head of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, also said the prime minister “needs to reflect on how it got to this point.”
“For more than a year we have seen racist gangs hindering the rights and freedoms of ordinary Australians,” he said.
“We have been locked out of parts of our cities because the police could not guarantee our safety.
“Students have been told to stay away from campuses.”
Jewish leaders have urged Mr Albanese to show stronger support for supporting Israel amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Australia broke with its long-standing position by voting in favor of a UN resolution requiring Israel to quickly end its occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the synagogue firebombing to the UN vote in a statement on
Netanyahu said the arson was “an abhorrent act of anti-Semitism.” he hoped that state authorities would “use their full weight to prevent such anti-Semitic acts in the future.”
“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this despicable act from the extreme anti-Israel position of the Labor government in Australia,” he said.
‘Including the outrageous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel to ‘end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories as soon as possible.’
‘Anti-Israel sentiment is anti-Semitism.’