Truck driver attempts to ram through synagogue gates in Australia

Driver charged with hate crime after slamming his truck into the gates of a synagogue in Brisbane, narrowly missing a pedestrian.

By World Israel News Staff

A black pickup truck rammed into the entrance of a synagogue in Brisbane, Australia, on Friday night, at the beginning of the Sabbath.

Closed-circuit television footage from the incident shows a pickup truck passing by the Brisbane Synagogue, stopping, and then executing a three-point turn.

While driving in reverse towards the synagogue’s entrance, the truck can be seen speeding up, ramming into the synagogue’s outer gates, knocking them down.

A guard who stood near the entrance was nearly hit as the truck rammed into the gates.

Police were alerted to the incident and officers dispatched to the scene.

According to a statement by Queensland Police Service Acting Superintendent Michael Hogan, police tracked the pickup truck and located the driver shortly after the ramming.

Officers apprehended the driver, placing him under arrest and charging him with a hate crime.

The suspect has been identified as a 32-year-old man, though his name has not been cleared for publication.

Authorities say that while the suspect has been charged with a hate crime for damaging synagogue property, the investigation is not treating the case as an act of terror.

Police emphasized that they do not believe the suspect ever planned to enter the synagogue.

“This is a criminal investigation,” Hogan said. “Police are considering the man’s mental health and intoxication as contributing factors.”

“We are told this is not being treated as terrorism,” said Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission.

“But when a synagogue is deliberately attacked, the label matters less than the impact. The fear is real. The shock is real. The message is unmistakable.”

“Since October 7, antisemitism in this country has not whispered, it has roared. It has leapt from slogans to smashed windows, from online bile to physical assaults on Jewish spaces and individuals as we saw at Bondi. And now, a car used like a battering ram against a synagogue in the heart of Brisbane.”