Tuesday, May 12, 2026
ADVT 
National

Vancouver Police release video showing suspect in synagogue arson

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Jun, 2024 11:38 AM
  • Vancouver Police release video showing suspect in synagogue arson

Police in Vancouver have released video showing a man who is believed to have set fire to the front entrance of a synagogue last month in the hope that someone may recognize the suspect. 

The security video shows a man wearing a dark jacket, light ball cap and a medical face mask approaching the front steps of the Schara Tzedeck synagogue on Vancouver's Oak Street on May 30 with a time stamp of 9:41 p.m. 

The man is carrying a clear bottle with liquid inside, and he unscrews the cap before disappearing from the frame. 

Less than a minute later, there is a bright flash and the video shows the man walking quickly down the synagogue stairs and onto the street.

A second video shows the front entrance from a different angle as orange flames spark and then flare up as the man walks away.

The police statement says investigators are looking to speak with anyone who might recognize the suspect in the video, as well as the driver of a beige or silver minivan that was seen in the area at the time of the fire.

Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt has said people were inside the synagogue after services that same night, when they heard a "bang" outside.

But he said it was a passerby who alerted them that their building was on fire, before a member of the congregation put out the flames with his jacket.

MORE National ARTICLES

19-year-old clocked going 199 km on North Van highway

19-year-old clocked going 199 km on North Van highway
R-C-M-P in North Vancouver say a lead-footed driver with a learners licence is a lot poorer -- and less mobile -- today after making a bad choice on Friday night. Mounties say the 19-year-old was clocked doing 199 kilometres per hour in an 80-kilometre per hour zone along the Upper Levels Highway through North Van.

19-year-old clocked going 199 km on North Van highway

Interest rates to stay high

Interest rates to stay high
Experts are warning the next few years will likely see sharp mortgage payment increases amid expectations that interest rates will stay higher for longer. Variable rate mortgage holders have already seen their payments surge by more than 49 per cent on average, according to Bank of Canada data, but many fixed rate holders still haven't felt the sharp rise in rates.

Interest rates to stay high

Who will become Manitoba's next premier? A look at party leaders vying for the job

Who will become Manitoba's next premier? A look at party leaders vying for the job
Manitoba's provincial election is to take place Tuesday. Here's a look at the leaders of the province's three parties that have seats in the legislature. 

Who will become Manitoba's next premier? A look at party leaders vying for the job

Diwali fireworks advisory issued despite warnings it might be discriminatory: emails

Diwali fireworks advisory issued despite warnings it might be discriminatory: emails
An Environment Canada advisory that singled out Diwali fireworks as a reason to prepare for poor air quality last October was issued despite multiple warnings from some staff about it being discriminatory. The advisory was edited and an apology issued within hours as complaints poured in to the national weather service the morning the annual Indian festival of lights was set to begin.

Diwali fireworks advisory issued despite warnings it might be discriminatory: emails

RCMP confirm Indigenous teen missing in Williams Lake has been found safe

RCMP confirm Indigenous teen missing in Williams Lake has been found safe
RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark says the 13-year-old is safe. He did not say where she was found. An earlier release from the Williams Lake detachment said she was not believed to have left the Cariboo city.

RCMP confirm Indigenous teen missing in Williams Lake has been found safe

Fire in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood destroys or damages five businesses

Fire in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood destroys or damages five businesses
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Chief Karen Fry says in a social media post that flames broke out before midnight Sunday prompting a three-alarm response to the large fire. The blaze involved five shops on 41st Avenue between Maple Street and East Boulevard, including two restaurants, a bakery, a yogurt shop and a vegetable market.  

Fire in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood destroys or damages five businesses