Australia Charges 20-Year-Old Over Melbourne Synagogue Arson Allegedly Directed by Iran

Australian authorities have filed charges against a 20-year-old man accused of setting fire to the Adat Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. Police say the attack was carried out under Iranian direction as part of a wider Tehran-linked plan to carry out antisemitic attacks in Australia.

The fire broke out in the early morning hours of December 6, 2024, after three masked men broke into the synagogue, poured flammable liquid inside, and ignited it. The blaze caused extensive damage to the building, and two worshippers suffered minor smoke inhalation.

Australia’s counterterrorism unit charged the unnamed suspect with serious offenses, including arson. According to AP, he is already in a Melbourne prison on unrelated charges, which police would not identify. Two other suspects were arrested earlier, Giovanni Laulo, 21, in July and Yunus Ali Yunus, 20, a month later.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last year that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were behind the synagogue attack and another attack two months earlier on a kosher restaurant in Sydney. ASIO chief Mike Burgess said the Guards used a “complex network of proxies to conceal their involvement” in both antisemitic attacks. After the allegations were revealed, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador and three other Iranian diplomats, while Tehran denied any connection. Police said they are still working with international partners and are investigating whether the three alleged arsonists knew who was behind the plot or were unwitting intermediaries. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Paul O’Halloran said the Jewish community had been informed of the latest arrest and added, “People deserve the right to feel safe and be safe in their community, and especially in their place of worship. Today’s charges are a strong testament to that.”