Another Firebombing Strikes Montreal

Firebombings in Montreal continued this morning. Café Ferrari, on André-Ampère Avenue in Rivière-des-Prairies, had a Molotov cocktail thrown inside. The cafe was empty at the time and the small fire that started went out on its own.

However, according to the CBC.ca, "Tuesday's incident is the ninth firebombing attempt in three weeks, all targeting Montreal cafés and bars." The pace of the attacks also seems to be intensifying, a day before the Tuesday attack two other cafés, were attacked. The Café Nouba on St. Laurent Blvd. in the heart of Little Italy, and the Café Vegas on Rue Jean Talon east, were both hit with Molotov cocktails, one at 6:18 a.m., the other at 7 a.m. According to the Toronto Star the modus operandi was identical in all three of the most recent attacks. "As with the other firebombing attempts, the windows were broken and the flaming device thrown inside, only to quickly go out." The head of the Montreal police arson squad said his detectives are having trouble investigating the incidents as any witnesses have refused to step forward and the merchant victims insist each occurrence was an isolated incident and they have no idea why it happened. "None of the hypotheses have been set aside but none have been validated for the time being either," Commander Robert Quevillon, who heads the police arson and economic crimes unit told the Canadian Press (CP). On November 20, CP identified 4 possible hypotheses:

There's the possibility that a Mafia war has erupted. Or perhaps a brazen street gang is trying to move in on the Mob's turf. Or maybe rival street gangs are simply battling amongst themselves. Police have even considered the possibility of a copycat arsonist with a particular penchant for putting latte-makers out of business.

The police may not have a motive but the trend is obvious and the future predictable. There have been nine bombings in three weeks, and three of them have occurred in the last two days.