A 47-year-old man has been named as a person of interest after police say a rabbi’s car was targeted in an arson attack on Christmas Day.
A family was forced to flee their home when a vehicle displaying a Hanukkah sign was firebombed in Melbourne‘s south-east.
Emergency services raced to Balaclava Road in St Kilda East, the heart of the city’s Jewish community, at about 2.50am after the car was set alight in the driveway.
A billboard fitted to the car read: ‘Happy Chanukah.’
The vehicle was engulfed in flames but was unoccupied at the time. Firefighters evacuated residents as a precaution while they worked to bring the blaze under control.
Police confirmed nobody was injured.
Victoria Police are urging John Argento to come forward as part of their investigation into the targeted attack.
Argento, already wanted on an outstanding warrant for deception-related offences, is well known to police.
Pictured is a man police are interested in speaking to regarding the alleged incident
The car, which had a ‘Happy Hannukah’ sign on the roof was firebombed on Christmas Day
Officers say Argento leads a ‘transient lifestyle’ and is often seen in Melbourne’s inner southern and northern suburbs.
He is described as 185cm tall with a thin build, blue eyes, grey hair and a fair complexion.
Police have released his image and are urging anyone who knows his whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers immediately.
Detectives say the arson attack appears targeted, but there is no evidence Argento poses a specific risk to the Jewish community.
Police also want to question him about a car break-in which happened just 20 minutes after the firebombing.
‘We understand the devastating impact this type of offence has on our Jewish community, and we are continuing to prioritise this investigation. We won’t fully understand the motives of this arsonist until we get them into custody,’ said Chris Gilbert, the Assistant Commissioner for the Southern Metro Region.
Gilbert reiterated that there is no ongoing threat.
‘At this stage, we do not believe there is a broader threat to the Jewish community. We want to thank people in the area for their assistance in this investigation so far,’ he said.
The attack has been condemned by the local Jewish community, who called it ‘despicable’
Jewish leaders rushed to the scene of the St Kilda East home on Thursday morning, warning of rising violence against the Jewish community during the festive season.
A furious Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann from the ARK Centre in Hawthorn told the Herald Sun it felt like an ‘open season on Jews,’ condemning the attack as ‘abhorrent’ and ‘despicable.’
‘Eleven days ago we witnessed the worst terror attack in Australia’s history on the Jewish community, celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach,’ he said.
