By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police on Monday transferred an investigation into an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue to a joint counter-terrorism unit, saying the blaze was likely a terrorist attack.
The fire early on Friday at the Adass Israel synagogue injured one and caused widespread damage, and has strained relations between Australia and its ally Israel.
State and federal police along with the country’s domestic intelligence service will work in tandem to identify three suspects wanted in connection with the attack, Shane Patton, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, told a news conference.
“We have the best resources, best-skilled investigators, people who are expert in this field, and we will throw everything we can at this investigation to resolve it,” he said.
Police initially said on Friday it did not believe the fire met the threshold of a terror attack. Designating it a suspected terror incident gives investigators additional resources and powers that include preventative detention, Patton said.
Police have also stepped up patrols of Jewish areas in Melbourne in order to reassure the community there, he added.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Australia on Saturday, saying the attack could not be separated from the “anti-Israel spirit” of government policies include support of a recent U.N. motion backing a Palestinian state.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday said the fire appeared to be a terrorist attack.
Australia has seen an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of a war between Israel and Hamas in October last year. Some Jewish organisations have said the government has not taken sufficient action in response.
Dozens of pro-Palestine protests over the past year have remained mostly peaceful, though the government has raised concerns they could threaten social cohesion.
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)
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