Australian federal and state police have charged a third man over the arson attack that gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne’s Ripponlea district on 6 December 2024. The 20-year-old, from Airport West, was charged on Friday while already detained on unrelated matters, according to Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). He faces counts of arson, conduct endangering life, and motor vehicle theft, and is expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Two other men were charged with the same offences last year: Giovanni Laulu, 21, and Younes Ali Younes, 20, according to media reports citing court documents. A fourth individual, a 20-year-old from Melton South, has been charged with stealing a vehicle allegedly used as a ‘communal crime car’ to reach the synagogue. The joint counter-terrorism investigation, Operation Hilfield, involves more than 200 officers and remains active, with police stating they are still pursuing lines of inquiry, including whether the alleged arsonists knew who was directing them.

Australian authorities have publicly alleged that the attack was directed by Iran. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of orchestrating both the synagogue fire and an earlier arson at a kosher eatery in Sydney. The AFP’s Assistant Commissioner Peter Crozier described the blaze as a ‘politically motivated crime’ with ‘international connections’, and said investigators were working with overseas partners. Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador and three other diplomats in response. Tehran has consistently denied the accusations, with its foreign ministry spokesman rejecting any link to the incidents.

The early-morning fire forced worshippers inside to flee; some media accounts, including Israeli outlet Kikar HaShabbat, reported that two people sustained minor injuries from smoke inhalation. Crozier said the attack had created ‘fear and genuine unease’ across Australian society. Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul O’Halloran noted that the local Jewish community had been informed of the latest charges before the public announcement, adding, ‘Our heart goes out to them.’

The synagogue arson is one of a series of antisemitic incidents that Australian authorities have been investigating since the Hamas-led attack on Israel of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. A separate mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney in December 2024, which killed 15 people, has intensified public scrutiny, though no link to the synagogue case has been established. Police have urged anyone with information to come forward, warning that individuals who deliberately lied to investigators would face consequences. The investigation continues, and the newly charged suspect remains in custody ahead of his court appearance.