Montreal police probe suspected arson at kosher restaurant, community fears antisemitic attack

Montreal police are investigating a suspected arson attack at Nöam, a kosher restaurant on Décarie Boulevard, in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. The two-alarm fire began around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, with preliminary investigations indicating an individual was present at the start. A video reportedly shows a "man in a white T-shirt and dark pants seemingly starting a fire and running away." No injuries were reported, but the building sustained significant damage. Community members, including building owner Howard Szalavetz, who finds "it hard to believe it wasn't antisemitism," and Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, are calling for the incident to be investigated as an antisemitic hate crime.