Australian police have charged a third suspect in the December 2024 arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Shu, an incident the Australian government says was directed by Iran.
The 20-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released, is accused of being one of three masked men who broke into the Shul in the early hours of December 6, doused the building with flammable liquid, and set it ablaze.
The fire caused extensive damage to the synagogue and left one person with minor injuries.
The suspect was charged by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, a task force made up of federal and state police along with Australia’s domestic intelligence agency. He faces multiple charges, including arson.
Authorities said the suspect was charged while already being held in a Melbourne jail on unrelated offenses, though police declined to provide further details about those charges.
The two other suspects, Giovanni Laulu, 21, and Younes Ali Younes, 20, were arrested in July and August of last year, respectively.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of directing the synagogue attack, as well as an earlier arson attack targeting Sydney’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant.
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