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Person of interest named in Hanukkah car fire

An 18-year-old faces six charges including Nazi salutes, trespassing, and defacing public property in Canberra, with police seizing devices and extremist stickers from his home.

  • On Thursday about 2.50am, a rabbi's silver sedan topped with a menorah and a 'Happy Chanukah' sign was set alight in its driveway on Balaclava Road, St Kilda East, and the rabbi's wife and three children were evacuated as a precaution.
  • Coming 11 days after the Bondi Hanukkah massacre that left 15 people dead, Jewish leaders called the firebombing antisemitic, warning it felt like 'open season on Jews' after Hanukkah ended December 22.
  • Victoria Police released a photo of 47-year-old John Argento and urged the public to report his whereabouts; he is known to police, about 185 cm tall, and wanted on a deception-related warrant.
  • Assistant Commissioner Chris Gilbert said `Officers will be patrolling the area and providing public reassurance`, emphasizing `There is no doubt that they are a family who's now in fear`, while Premier Jacinta Allan highlighted the attack was not what any family deserved on Christmas Day.
  • Investigators warned `We won't fully understand the motives of this arsonist until we get them into custody` as detectives want to speak with Argento about a car break-in about 20 minutes after the arson.
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An 18-year-old boy had been arrested on Christmas Eve in Australia after attaching stickers containing propaganda content to public spaces and responding to the authorities with Nazi greetings.

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The Border Mail broke the news in on Thursday, December 25, 2025.
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