Kosher restaurant in Montreal burned down in apparent arson attack

Montreal police said Saturday they were investigating a suspected arson attack that targeted Nöam, a kosher restaurant in the Canadian city.

Emergency services were called to the restaurant at around 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters brought the blaze under control several hours later, and no injuries were reported.

The fire comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Canada since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, with Montreal among the cities that have seen repeated attacks targeting Jewish institutions, including shootings and firebombings.

Asked whether investigators believed the restaurant had been targeted in a hate crime, Montreal police spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron said authorities had not yet established a motive. "We don't have any indication at this time, but we're going to look at all the possibilities," he said.

Mount Royal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather urged police to investigate the incident as a hate crime, saying he was "absolutely disgusted" by the apparent arson attack on a Jewish-owned business.

"This attack on a Jewish-owned business must be investigated as a hate crime and those involved in this criminal act must be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he wrote on social media.