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🇦🇺 Australia /Conflict & Security

Arsons at licensed venues continue to baffle Victoria Police

From ABC Australia · (14m ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Victoria Police are investigating a series of arson attempts on licensed venues in Melbourne, with no clear motive identified so far.
  • Investigators have foiled a suspected arson attempt at the France-Soir restaurant in South Yarra, arresting two individuals.
  • Police note that young people are reportedly being paid to commit these attacks, and while extortion was a logical assumption, none of the targeted venue owners have reported such demands.

Victoria Police are grappling with a perplexing spate of arson attempts targeting licensed venues across Melbourne, leaving investigators baffled as they struggle to establish a clear motive. Despite multiple incidents in recent weeks, none of the owners of the affected restaurants and clubs have reported receiving any extortion demands, a theory that initially seemed a logical explanation for the attacks.

They saw two individuals loitering near the premises, saw a jerry can in the back and called it in.

— Detective Inspector Chris MurrayDescribing the actions of passers-by that led to the foiling of an arson attempt at France-Soir.

The latest incident involved a suspected arson attempt at the popular France-Soir restaurant in South Yarra. Alert passers-by noticed two individuals loitering near the premises with a jerry can and promptly alerted authorities. Police responded swiftly, arresting a 31-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman in connection with the incident. While these arrests have helped police identify a common thread, the underlying motive remains elusive.

We were a bit shocked because I never thought it would happen to us, but it just happened and that's it. We're not really understanding what happened really.

— Jean-Paul PrunettiThe owner of France-Soir expressing his surprise and confusion about the targeted arson attempt.

Detective Inspector Chris Murray of the Arson and Explosives Squad revealed a disturbing pattern: young people are allegedly being recruited and paid to carry out these arson attacks, with payments ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. This tactic, reminiscent of methods used in tobacco-related arsons, suggests a more organized, albeit unclear, network behind the crimes. Police are urging the public to report any suspicious behavior near licensed venues, especially in the early hours, as they continue their efforts to unravel this unsettling mystery and bring those responsible to justice.

Each and every owner who's been subject to an arson attack and attempted arson state they haven't been extorted, which is puzzling. The motive is unclear and we're trying to understand what that motive is but the owners have been very co-operative and say they haven't been threatened.

— Detective Inspector Chris MurrayHighlighting the puzzling lack of extortion demands despite the arson attempts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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