Melbourne car firebombed during Christmas season, suspected antisemitic attack follows deadly Bondi Hanukkah shooting
The attack comes during the festive season, when communities gather to celebrate with family and friends. Emergency crews were dispatched to a residence on Balaclava Drive in East St Kilda just before 3am after a car equipped with a mobile billboard was found engulfed in flames.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as “yet another appalling act of suspected antisemitism” and said “this type of hatred has no place in Australia and it must be stopped.” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said it was “no family, street or community deserves to wake up to on Christmas Day in Australia”.
No one was in the vehicle at the time, residents were evacuated as a precaution, and police said they had identified a person who could assist with the investigation.
Follows the deadly Bondi beach attack
The incident comes a week after a terrorist attack killed 15 people at the Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney, and police are urging anyone with dashcam footage, CCTV footage or information to contact Crime Stoppers.
Authorities said the attack was carried out by a father and son team, 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram. The duo received firearms training before the attack and investigators found improvised explosive devices at the scene.
In response, the New South Wales Police Force shot two alleged gunmen at the scene, killing one and seriously wounding the other; This person was later taken into custody and determined to be the deceased’s son.
Numerous world leaders and Australian officials condemned the attack at Bondi Beach as an anti-Semitic attack. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as a deliberate attack on the Jewish people on the first day of Hanukkah.
