Arsonist who torched Melbourne rabbi’s car with Chanukah display arrested

Authorities charge arsonist arrested for Christmas Day attack on Melbourne-area rabbi’s car with 18 counts of theft and arson.

By World Israel News Staff

A homeless man from a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, has been arrested in connection with an arson attack on a car bearing a Chanukah banner last month that forced a Jewish family to evacuate their home in the middle of the night.

On Tuesday, prosecutors filed an indictment with the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court against John Argento, 47, a resident of the nearby town of Richmond.

Victoria Police accuse Argento of carrying out the Dec. 25 arson attack on a car bearing a Chanukah banner, outside the home of a Chabad rabbi in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda East.

No injuries were reported in the attack, but the family was forced to flee their home.

Authorities believe Argento also broke into another car on a nearby street roughly 20 minutes after the attack.

Appearing in court by video, Argento denied the charges. “I’m innocent of this arson,” he told the court.

During the hearing Tuesday, the court was told that Argento has a history of mental illness, including diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He also has a history of substance abuse.

The court extended Argento’s remand, with a new hearing slated for Thursday.

The arson came just 11 days after the Bondi Beach massacre in Sydney left 15 people dead and dozens wounded.

“This is a continuation of the daily fear the Jewish community has had to live in for the past two years, and even more so after Bondi,” the Jewish Community Council of Victoria said shortly after the Dec. 25 arson.

The indictment against Argento spans 18 charges including six counts of arson, nine theft charges, and three counts of obtaining property by deception, burglary, and theft.