Arsonist sets fire to door at Australian synagogue with worshippers inside; no injuries reported

An arsonist set fire to the door of a Melbourne synagogue and forced the congregation to flee on Friday, seven months after criminals destroyed a synagogue in the same Australian city with an accelerant-fueled blaze that left a worshipper injured.

A man doused the double front doors of the downtown East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and set it alight around 8 p.m., Victoria Police said in a news release Saturday. Around 20 worshippers sharing a meal to mark the Shabbat Jewish day of rest evacuated through a rear door and no one was injured, police said.

Fire fighters extinguished the blaze, which was contained to the front entrance, police said. Photos show damage to the front doors.

Police said that the arsonist was seen walking through a nearby park before entering the grounds of the synagogue. After setting the blaze, he fled the scene on foot, police said. He has not been identified.

Read more: CBS News