Thursday, June 18, 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

New passport service sites open amid backlog

New passport service sites open amid backlog
Urgent services for people who can prove they need a passport within 48 hours are only available in bigger urban centres — Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Gatineau, Que.

New passport service sites open amid backlog

Mandarin and Punjabi are the most common non-official languages in the country

Mandarin and Punjabi are the most common non-official languages in the country
Mandarin and Punjabi are the most common non-official languages, with more than a million people predominantly speaking one of the two languages. Statistics Canada noted a large increase in the growth of the number of Canadians who predominantly speak South Asian languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi or Malayalam since the last census in 2016, a rise which was fuelled by immigration.

Mandarin and Punjabi are the most common non-official languages in the country

Possible attempted abduction in Abbotsford, B.C.

Possible attempted abduction in Abbotsford, B.C.
A statement from Const. Jody Thomas says an unknown man tried to pull the youngster from a ground floor bedroom window of a home on Abbotsford's east side. It happened just before 9 p.m. Monday.

Possible attempted abduction in Abbotsford, B.C.

Sept. rate hike expected despite slowing inflation

Sept. rate hike expected despite slowing inflation
Still, inflation is well above the Bank of Canada’s two per cent target. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem made that very point in an op-ed published by the National Post on Tuesday, saying inflation "remains far too high" and emphasizing the central bank's role in bringing inflation down.

Sept. rate hike expected despite slowing inflation

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?
The glitch-prone app touted as an efficient border tool early in the pandemic has become a punching bag for critics who question its utility ⁠ — but ArriveCan may be here to stay. The government insists it's a useful tool. Critics say it has outlived its use, if it ever had one.

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'
Earlier, British Columbia's Environment Ministry had said that only one wolf was still missing at the zoo, located about 55 kilometres east of Vancouver in the community of Aldergrove. It did not say how many had escaped at the facility, which says it has nine adult grey wolves and six cubs.  

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'