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Video: Footage of Vancouver synagogue arson suspect released

Police are still seeking the suspect.

Police are releasing video of the suspect believed to have set a Vancouver synagogue on fire last month.

On May 30 around 10 p.m., someone poured an accelerant outside the Schara Tzedeck Synagogue's front door at Oak Street and West 19th Avenue and lit it while people were inside the building.

Members of the synagogue were able to douse the flames, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) stated in a press release, before the flames were able to spread.

The synagogue's rabbi called the incident a sign of rising antisemitism in Canada. At the time, the VPD mobilized extra resources to keep Jewish community centres and other sites safe.

"We need our society and our government to take antisemitism seriously," Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt said.

Police have been investigating the incident as an arson attempt, and on June 26 released video of the suspect. It shows a person walking to the synagogue's entrance with a bottle of fluid and then fleeing the scene.

At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a white baseball cap, dark grey jacket, black shorts and a surgical-style mask.

Police are looking for a second person, as well: a driver of a beige or silver minivan. It was seen in the area at the same time.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 604-717-2541.

With files from Graeme Wood