Melbourne, Aug 27 (AP) In a dramatic court development, a man accused of setting fire to a Melbourne synagogue in an antisemitic act directed by Iran, according to Australian authorities, was held in custody after a court appearance on Wednesday. Ali Younes, 20, became the second individual charged for the December arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue. Authorities claim three masked perpetrators drenched the synagogue’s interior with a liquid accelerant before igniting it, resulting in significant damage and injuring a worshipper.
Younes, residing in Melbourne's northern suburbs, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via video link from jail. His court appearance followed comments from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of orchestrating arson attacks on the synagogue and a kosher restaurant in Sydney, Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, two months prior. Iran countered Australia’s accusations through Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, suggesting the attacks were connected to tensions with Israel after Australia recognized a Palestinian state.
No direct links to Iran have emerged from the court appearances of those charged in relation to the Sydney and Melbourne incidents. However, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) maintains it possesses “credible evidence” of Iran's involvement. Younes, who spoke briefly during the short hearing, was remanded in custody with a court reappearance scheduled for December 4.
Younes' accomplice, Giovanni Laulu, a 21-year-old from Melbourne’s western suburbs, also remains incarcerated and is set to face court on December 4. Both individuals face charges of arson, reckless conduct endangering life, and car theft, with arson potentially resulting in a 15-year prison term. The other offenses carry penalties of up to 10 years each. The attack was declared a terrorist act early in the investigation, a decision that allocates additional resources for inquiry, although no terrorism charges have been filed yet.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising members from Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police, and ASIO, charged both suspects. ASIO’s director-general, Mike Burgess, claimed on Tuesday that the Revolutionary Guard employed a “complex web of proxies to disguise its involvement” in the Australian antisemitic attacks. Benjamin Klein, a board member of the affected synagogue, revealed he was forewarned by a prime ministerial aide regarding Iran's alleged responsibility. “It is quite shocking and traumatic to think that a peaceful, loving synagogue in Melbourne is targeted and attacked by terrorists from overseas,” Klein expressed.
The Australian authorities have bolstered security at the temporary gathering place for the synagogue’s congregation in response. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an advocacy group, mentioned that the owner of the assailed Sydney restaurant was still grappling with the news of Iran’s alleged involvement in the arson. “The fact that a business is targeted makes every Jewish Australian fearful that they could be next,” Ryvchin stated. In Sydney, two men, Wayne Dean Ogden, 40, and Juon Amuoi, 26, face charges for that attack and are held in custody.
Sayed Mohammed Moosawi, a 32-year-old former chapter president of the Nomads biker gang in Sydney, was charged with overseeing the firebombing but has been released on bail. Prime Minister Albanese continues to withhold specific details about Iran’s alleged direction of the crimes, citing ongoing investigations into other antisemitic incidents and concern over potentially compromising fair trials through the premature release of non-admissible evidence.
Albanese stated to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “It's very clear from the advice that we received from ASIO that both Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne were linked to Iran, specifically its Revolutionary Guard, in partnership with criminal entities both abroad and domestically.”
In a diplomatic blow, Australia is breaking ties with Iran, which Albanese described as an “attack on our social fabric.” Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi, marked as the first ambassador expelled by Australia since World War II, was given until Tuesday morning to exit the country. Three other expelled Iranian diplomats were provided one week to depart. Sadeghi was observed departing and returning to the embassy by car on Wednesday. Calls to the embassy were unanswered.
On Wednesday, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong advised all Australians in Iran to leave immediately, warning travelers against visiting due to Australia’s lack of an embassy in Tehran. Australian diplomats have been repositioned to a third country for safety. “The Iranian regime is an unpredictable regime, one capable of aggression and violence,” Wong asserted. (AP) GSP
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