Sydney police say synagogue vandals tried to set fire as counterterror cops take over probe

Police in Australia’s New South Wales say vandals who spray painted antisemitic graffiti on a Sydney synagogue also attempted to set the house of worship on fire.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says the attack marks an escalation in antisemitic crime in the state, coming amid an outbreak of attacks on Jewish homes and synagogues in recent weeks, including several attacks over the weekend.

“This is an escalation in antisemitic crime in New South Wales. Police and the government remain very concerned that an accelerant may have been used,” Minns tells a televised media conference alongside state police commissioner Karen Webb.

“In the last 24 hours, these matters have now been taken over by counter-terrorism command,” Webb says.

According to Webb, a clear liquid was used to ignite a fire at the synagogue, though it extinguished itself after three minutes.

Aside from the incident on the synagogue in Newton, a house in Sydney’s east, a hub of the city’s Jewish community, was also daubed with antisemitic graffiti, police said on Saturday, adding they were also probing offensive comments on a street poster in the suburb of Marrickville.

Police ask for the public’s help in identifying two suspects in the graffiti and arson attacks, releasing blurry stills from CCTV footage of men in hoodies on a scooter and a bike.

On Friday, a special police task force was set up to investigate an attack on the Southern Sydney Synagogue in the suburb of Allawah in the early hours of Friday morning.