The dark series of arson attacks continues in the metropolis. Sunday, at dawn, it was the turn of a hairdressing salon to be the target, while a Molotov cocktail was fired inside. No one was injured, the fire was brought under control and an investigation was opened by the Montreal police.
It was shortly before 4 a.m. on Sunday that the police were called to intervene at Studio 3, a hair salon for men and women located on rue Chabanel Ouest, between rue Meilleur and avenue du Parc, in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
The flames were quickly brought under control by firefighters. On site, they then identified the presence of an incendiary object and traces of an accelerating product. The investigation was therefore immediately transferred to the Arson Unit of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
According to agent Véronique Dubuc, spokesperson for the SPVM, it was “a Molotov cocktail that would have been thrown through a window inside the business”. Fortunately, however, the case did not cause any injuries, since the establishment was closed at the time of the events and no one was inside.
“We are talking about minor damage to the building. There are no arrests at this time. Investigators will be on site today to analyze the scene,” explained M.me Dubuc.
Video tapes from surveillance cameras could also be viewed by investigators to shed light on the sequence of events.
A phenomenon on the rise
This new arson echoes the series of arson attacks in Montreal in recent weeks. The Press revealed on Friday that more than one fire per day had been lit in May in the metropolis. Some businesses have been hit two or even three times in a row. In May alone, in 11 days, 16 arson fires have already been started, an average of 1.6 per day.
As of May 11, Montreal police recorded 220 arson attacks, compared to 130 for the first quarter of 2022. Last year, the figure of 220 arson attacks was reached at the end of the first week of July; 2023 is therefore about eight weeks ahead of 2022.
Earlier, last Friday, three men aged 18 to 38 had been arrested and charged in connection with arson attacks in the boroughs of Lasalle, Saint-Laurent and Saint-Léonard in the last few days.
According to our information, the head of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, should, among other things, address this issue during a press conference scheduled for Monday, during which he must “report on his first 100 days at the head of the organization “.
Note: this increase in arson could be linked to conflicts between organized crime groups, extortion attempts, or even disputes between networks of vehicle thieves, had reported The Press the last days.
“Often, the suspects are vulnerable people who have been offered drugs or an amount of money, and who will set fire to the business without knowing the reason why they are doing it”, illustrated the inspector of investigations SPVM specialists and head of the arson section, Karine Paquette.