US EditionEast Melbourne synagogue arson accused pleads guilty to all charges
Angelo Loras caused $54,000 in damage by setting fire to a synagogue entrance while up to 20 people were inside, courts acknowledged his schizophrenia and hallucinations.
- On July 5, Angelo Loras, 35, pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering members after setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, admitting he poured flammable liquid and ignited it.
- Court documents show Loras believed the synagogue was a home and experienced hallucinations described as 'zombies', Magistrate Malcolm Thomas accepted he did not intentionally target the synagogue.
- Up to 20 people were inside when the doors were set alight, and the blaze caused about $54,000 in damage; counter-terrorism police arrested Angelo Loras the next day.
- Loras was bailed so he could access housing and mental health supports through the court-integrated services program, and Magistrate Malcolm Thomas will sentence him to 134 days served plus a community corrections order requiring medical treatment with a 100 metres exclusion from East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.
- The attack was widely condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Victorian political leaders, and the Jewish community, while Prosecutor Ryan Mallia noted it differed from the December 2024 Ripponlea synagogue arson but still impacted the community and dropped two charges.
15 Articles
15 Articles
East Melbourne synagogue arsonist was seeing zombies, hearing voices
A man who admitted setting the doors of a synagogue on fire was having hallucinations about zombies, a court has been told.Angelo Loras, 35, on Monday pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering members of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation by setting fire to their synagogue on July 5.He admitted pouring flammable liquid at the site's entrance and igniting it with a lighter, creating a fireball that almost engulfed him.READ MORE: Trump's bitter…
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