Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the attack on a Melbourne synagogue on Friday morning.
Alarms were raised at the Ripponlea place of worship at about 4:10am, and 60 firefighters worked for 40 minutes to control the blaze.
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Witnesses said two men wearing masks “appeared to be spreading an accelerant” inside the building, Victoria Police detective inspector Chris Murray told the media.
Mr Murray believed the incident would have been captured on CCTV, and police were trying to obtain the footage to gather information.
“This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage,” Mr Albanese said in a statement.
“This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community.
“This deliberate, unlawful act goes against everything we are as Australians and everything we have worked so hard to build as a nation.”
Meanwhile, Victoria Premier Jacinta Allen said she stood with the Adass Israel congregation.
“Like any place of worship in this state, it should be a refuge – a place of peace, prayer and safety,” she said.
“Every available resource will be deployed to find these criminals who tried to tear a community apart.”
A crime scene has been established, and police are treating the incident as suspicious.