20-Year-Old Charged Over Stolen Car Used in Firebombing of Adass Synagogue

Police link the vehicle to the Lux nightclub arson and the same-night Bundoora shooting, suggesting it was also used in the Caulfield synagogue fire.

Members of the Synagogue recover items from the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 6, 2024. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has charged a 20-year-old man over the alleged theft of a blue 2020-model VW Golf sedan used in the arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue and other serious crimes.

Police allege the car was stolen from Melton, in Melbourne’s outer west, on Nov. 29, 2024—just days before it was used in the Dec. 6 attack at the Ripponlea synagogue, which saw masked men throw accelerants and ignite a blaze as early morning worshippers fled to safety.