Man, 47, arrested over Christmas Day arson attack on rabbi’s car in St Kilda East
Police have arrested a man in relation to an arson attack on a rabbi’s car in Melbourne’s inner south on Christmas Day.
A silver sedan, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign on its roof, was set alight about 2.50am on December 25 while parked in the driveway of the rabbi’s home in Balaclava Road, St Kilda East in the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community.
Firefighters at the scene of the car fire in St Kilda East early on Christmas Day.Credit: Nine News
The car had a mobile billboard on its roof to celebrate Hanukkah. The rabbi’s wife and three children were evacuated at the time as a precaution. There was no one in the car at the time of the fire.
Detectives arrested a 47-year-old man in Victoria Street, Richmond, about 9am on Tuesday, in relation to the incident.
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The man, from Richmond, remains in custody and is expected to be interviewed by police.
The firebombing occurred 11 days after two gunmen targeted a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach and killed 15 people. Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, ended on December 22.
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