Tuesday, June 16, 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

Expert flags potential for dental-care clawbacks as result of federal program

Expert flags potential for dental-care clawbacks as result of federal program
The government plans to offer cheques of up to $650 to qualifying low- and middle-income families with children under the age of 12 to help pay for their dental needs. Qualifying families will have to attest that they don't have private insurance, that they have out-of-pocket dental expenses and that they will keep their receipts.

Expert flags potential for dental-care clawbacks as result of federal program

Arrests after violent end to Vancouver concert

Arrests after violent end to Vancouver concert
Police say fights broke out inside and outside the PNE Amphitheatre following the sudden cancellation of the headline act in the final hours of the two-day BreakOut Festival. The police statement says hostile concertgoers also caused significant property damage to the amphitheatre, other PNE grounds and the surrounding neighbourhood before order was restored.

Arrests after violent end to Vancouver concert

Surrey residence riddled with bullet holes after Sunday morning shooting

Surrey residence riddled with bullet holes after Sunday morning shooting
At approximately 4:30pm, on Sunday, Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 12300 block of 68thavenue. Responding officers attended and found shots fired into a residence and confirmed there were no injuries.

Surrey residence riddled with bullet holes after Sunday morning shooting

B.C. school support staff have tentative deal

B.C. school support staff have tentative deal
The Finance Ministry says the deal is between the Public School Employers' Association and school presidents' councils representing 57 locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.  

B.C. school support staff have tentative deal

VPD seizes cache of weapons from Hastings Street tent encampment

VPD seizes cache of weapons from Hastings Street tent encampment
VPD patrol officers launched a criminal investigation earlier this week after receiving information illicit drugs and weapons were being stored inside a tent near Main and Hastings. 5 people were arrested. The investigation remains ongoing.

VPD seizes cache of weapons from Hastings Street tent encampment

Parole extended for Victoria killer 25 years later

Parole extended for Victoria killer 25 years later
A Parole Board of Canada decision says 40-year-old Kerry Sim, who was formerly known as Kelly Ellard, has been authorized to remain on day parole but with numerous conditions. Sim was 15 years old when she and a group of teenagers swarmed and beat Virk, and her trial heard she and a co-accused later followed the 14-year-old girl to continue the beating and drown her in the Gorge waterway.  

Parole extended for Victoria killer 25 years later