A downtown Italian restaurant was the target of an attempted arson Thursday, according to Montreal police.
The front bay window of La Médusa, located on Drummond Street near Ste-Catherine Street, was shattered shortly after 1:30 a.m.
Security footage shows a man smashing the glass with a large brick before tossing a Molotov cocktail inside the establishment. Police say he fled on foot.
The flames were quickly extinguished by Montreal firefighters.
According to the owners, the damage to the restaurant is minor.
“A couple of chairs were burned,” La Médusa co-owner Joe D’Adderio said.
The case has been transferred to the Montreal police arson squad, which are investigating the incident.
Normally used as a form of intimidation or extortion, similar cases of targeted fire bombings have been on the rise in the past few months in Montreal, according to police.
The number of fire bombing cases jumped by 42 per cent in the past five years, with more than 530 incidents reported last year alone.
D’Adderio said he and his brothers have been operating the restaurant for over 20 years and do not have any affiliation or run-ins with organized crime.
“It’s hard to say, there was no intimidation from suppliers or anyone else,” D’Adderio said. “Competition maybe. But I can’t put my finger on it.”
No arrests have been made in the case. Police say they will be looking over security footage to identify the suspect who fled on foot.
Despite the shock, D’Adderio said he and his brothers will cooperate with police and will continue operating their business as usual.
“We’re not intimidated,” he said.