Wednesday, May 20, 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

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians
The funding will support three part-time outreach workers and others who will engage South Asians who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The supports are expected to help between 50 and 75 people who use drugs as well as 150 to 200 family members.  

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral
Thousands of mourners from the Sikh community descended upon the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey on Sunday morning, to pay respects to the Gurdwara president, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was shot mutliple times a week ago in the parking lot of the Gurdwara and killed in his truck.

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp
The BC Civil Liberties Association and Pivot Legal Society want Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon to stop any evictions at the Lonzo Park encampment, located on provincially owned land originally intended as a park-and-ride in Abbotsford. The letter reminds Kahlon that several B.C. Supreme Court rulings have found forcible eviction is illegal when other housing options are inadequate.  

Advocates urge B.C. leaders to halt planned evictions at Abbotsford, B.C., tent camp

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in
A man is in hospital with serious injuries and B-C's independent police watchdog -- the Independent Investigations Office -- has been called to the scene. The I-I-O says police say they were called to a report of a potentially impaired driver on Highway 1 through West Vancouver and told investigators there was an exchange of gunfire as they arrived.

Man in hospital with serious injuries, IIO called in

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified
Investigators say a 56-year-old from Sechelt died from multiple gunshot wounds early Thursday morning. The victim was found outside a residence in Halfmoon Bay and died at the scene.

Sunshine Coast shooting victim identified

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested
Police in Abbotsford, B-C, have arrested three suspects in connection with a home invasion this week. R-C-M-P say officers responded to a call Friday afternoon in the 33-thousand block of George Ferguson Way area.

Abbotsford home invasion, 3 arrested