Australian police have launched an investigation after a car was set on fire and homes were vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident, calling it a “hate crime.” “There is no place for anti-Semitism in this country, or anywhere else,” he told ABC News.
This comes days after a fire broke out in a synagogue in Melbourne, resulting in a man being slightly injured, while police there are treating it as a possible terrorist attack.
Authorities in Sydney said they were looking for two people between the ages of 15 and 20 due to the vandalism incident.
NSW Police said the pair were wearing “face coverings and dark clothing” and were seen running from the scene.
“We need public assistance to come forward and help identify these two individuals,” Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters.
Police said the car fire was extinguished shortly after firefighters were called to the scene in Woollahra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, at about 01:00 local time (14:00 GMT).
Anti-Israel messages, including “Kill Israel” (sic), were found at the scene, written on the fences of two properties and two cars.
Albanese said he had spoken to the Australian Federal Police about the vandalism.
Earlier this week, law enforcement established a special task force to investigate incidents of anti-Semitism, including the alleged terrorist attack in Melbourne, and another spate of vandalism that occurred in Woollahra last month. Police do not believe the two incidents in Woollahra are related.
New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said the latest incident appeared to be “tailor-made” to “terrorize Sydney's Jewish community”.
“If the question is, can we do more? I think the answer is yes, and I am not closing the door on changes to the law,” he told reporters, adding that he had spoken with Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon.
