Man charged with setting fire to Melbourne synagogue as police probe terror motive
Angelo Loras, 34, of Sydney, who describes himself as Iranian, suspected of starting blaze at entrance to East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation building while 20 people were inside
A man suspected of setting fire to an Australian synagogue as worshipers ate dinner inside has been arrested and charged, police said Sunday, as they investigated if the attack was terror related.
Angelo Loras, 34, from the Sydney suburb of Toongabbie, is suspected of setting ablaze the front door of the busy East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Friday night while around 20 people were inside for a Shabbat meal.
Victoria state police charged Loras with a string of offenses, including reckless conduct endangering life. He was not named in connection with two other attacks against the Jewish community that took place around the same time.
“The man allegedly poured a flammable liquid on the front door of the building and set it on fire before fleeing the scene,” police said in a statement. “Detectives will continue to examine the intent and ideology of the person charged to determine if the incident is in fact terrorism.”
The worshipers escaped unscathed through the back of the synagogue before firefighters doused the blaze.
Loras appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court and was ordered held in custody until a July 22 hearing. He did not apply for bail.
Police have arrested the fire bombers of the synagogue in Melbourne. This bloke is from Sydney.
The 34-year-old man from Toongabbie in NSW was arrested in the city about 8.15pm Saturday and charged him with reckless conduct endanger life, reckless conduct endanger serious… pic.twitter.com/1jyjJcyPJV
— Kate????M© (@Kate3015) July 5, 2025
Loras describes himself on the social media platform X as “Single, Iranian, forklift driver, music lover.”
The attack was the latest of a rash of incidents to target Jews in Melbourne and Sydney, much of it thought tied to anger over Israel’s actions in the Middle East, with Australian leaders vowing to crack down on perpetrators.
The arrest was welcomed by Dvir Abramovich, head of the Anti-Defamation Commission, who said the arson attack had “ripped through the heart of the Jewish community and shocked the broader public to the core.”
“The arrest provides some comfort to a community gripped by fear, anger, and disbelief and will offer a measure of reassurance at a time of deep distress,” he said in a statement.
Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, who was inside the synagogue with his family on Friday, said security cameras showed the perpetrator ringing the doorbell twice moments before the flames erupted.
Gutnick’s 13-year-old son was in the synagogue office at the time and decided against opening the door after seeing the visitor on the security camera monitor.
“We use the security cameras to assess people who ring the doorbell. Generally, we don’t hesitate to let someone in,” Gutnick told The Associated Press.
“My son hesitated and didn’t answer. By the time I came to the front, there was already smoke and flames coming in under the door,” he added.
Police said they were yet to find a link between the synagogue attack and two other incidents targeting Jewish residents in Melbourne on Friday night.
In one instance, a group of about 20 anti-Israel protesters swarmed an Israeli-owned restaurant while chanting “Death to the IDF.”
The protesters allegedly flipped over tables and smashed a window, according to local media.
A police source, speaking anonymously to the Sydney Morning Herald, said that at least one of those involved is known to counter-terrorism police as being involved in violent left-wing protests. Police declined to comment on the information.
In another part of the city, cars were set on fire and daubed with antisemitic graffiti.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who met with Jewish leaders at the damaged synagogue on Sunday, told reporters that investigators were searching for potential links between the three incidents.
“At this stage, our authorities have not drawn links between them. But obviously there’s a link in antisemitism. There’s a link in bigotry. There’s a link in a willingness to either call for violence, to chant violence or to take out violent actions. They are very much linked in that way,” Burke said.
“There were three attacks that night and none of them belonged in Australia. Arson attacks, the chanting calls for death, other attacks and graffiti — none of it belonged in Australia and they were attacks on Australia,” Burke added.
He also said he had spoken to the Israeli ambassador in Australia.
Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said Saturday that all three incidents have “inferences of antisemitism” or anti-Israel activity.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday condemned the synagogue attack, saying it was a “cowardly” act of antisemitism.
Israeli leaders denounced the attacks as “vile” antisemitism.
The attack on the synagogue came seven months after another synagogue in Melbourne was targeted by arsonists, who set a blaze that injured one and caused widespread damage.
Australia’s Jewish community, numbering around 120,000, has been among the hardest hit by the global surge in antisemitism since October 7, 2023. The country experienced more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, more than quadruple the number from the year before Hamas’s October 7 assault that sparked the Gaza war, according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
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