In the early hours of September 3, a tobacco shop in Melton, west of Melbourne, became the site of a firebombing that turned catastrophically against those who carried it out — leaving a 23-year-old man critically burned and fighting for his life. Eight days later, police executing warrants at a Bandidos clubhouse in Ballarat's Delacombe suburb made several arrests, including a patched gang member, as part of Taskforce Echo's broader reckoning with outlaw motorcycle gang violence in the region. The incident is a stark reminder that violence, once set in motion, rarely respects the intentions o
Bandidos member arrested in Melton tobacconist firebombing probe
A 23-year-old man suffered life-altering burns to his upper and lower body and remains in critical condition after the firebombing.