Melbourne police issue warning over arson attacks

Melbourne police issue warning over arson attacks

Xinhua
17 Apr 2026, 13:15 GMT+

MELBOURNE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Police in Melbourne on Friday warned the public to be alert for suspicious activity following a string of arson attacks and a drive-by shooting targeting hospitality venues.

The police force in the state of Victoria said in a statement that detectives from the arson and explosives squad are investigating potential links between and the motivation behind five arson attacks and a shooting at hospitality venues in metropolitan Melbourne since Tuesday.

Two of the arson incidents occurred in Melbourne's central business district (CBD), and the other three targeted venues in the city's inner-southern suburbs, police said.

The shooting occurred around 4:10 a.m. on Friday when a shot was fired from a vehicle towards a CBD venue. No injuries were reported.

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