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  • February 14, 2025
Australian Albanians charged with playing tennis after synagogue arson

Australian Albanians charged with playing tennis after synagogue arson

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was harassed on Tuesday during a visit to an arson-hit synagogue in Melbourne as he faced increasing criticism for playing tennis in the aftermath of the attack.

Three masked attackers set fire to the Adass Israel Synagogue last Friday, injuring one and causing significant damage to the building.

Police said the suspects linked to the firebombing, which was labeled a terrorist attack, are still on the run.

Australia also established an anti-Semitism task force known as Abalight in response to the incident, which Albanians described as “concerning”.

“Special Operation Abalight will be a skilled and experienced team of counter-terrorism investigators who will focus on threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians,” Reece Kershaw, chief of the Australian Federal Police, told a news conference on Monday.

Police have stepped up patrols in Jewish areas in Melbourne – home to the country’s largest Jewish population with 54,583 Jews living there, according to a 2021 census.