Fire Department Investigating Possible Arson After Truck Blaze Damages Montreal Mosque
According to SIM spokesperson Anik Vaillancourt, a 911 call was received just after 2 a.m. reporting the fire in a truck parked between Baitul Mukarram Mosque and another building located on De Courtrai Avenue.
The fire had spread to the exterior of the mosque damaging its walls.
“A thorough inspection of the interior of the premises was conducted, and no evidence of the fire spreading inside the building was found,” she added.
There may be some smell of smoke inside, she said.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains unknown as of Sunday. An investigation report is expected in a few days.
In the meantime, the mosque said it had suspended all activities indefinitely.
The incident comes amid a string of incidents in the city target Jewish and Muslim establishments in the city.
Early Saturday morning, Nöam, a kosher restaurant also in Côte-des-Neiges, was destroyed in a fire. An arson investigation is underway.
Montreal police’s hate crime unit is also investigating after a fake severed hand was thrown at the Verdun Islamic Centre two weeks earlier while people had gathered inside for prayers.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Canadian Muslim Forum (CMF) said the fire at the Baitul Mukarram Mosque was troubling.
“Amid the escalating hate crimes and growing Islamophobia targeting the Canadian Muslim community across country, the recent fire that damaged part of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Montreal has further heightened the fear and anxiety experienced by Muslim Canadians,” CMF wrote.
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Côte-des-Neiges—NDG Mayor Stephanie Valenzuela said, in a post on Facebook, that the consecutive fires in the borough was concerning.
“We are in contact with the authorities as well as leaders of the affected communities and are closely monitoring these situations,” she said. “At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected.”
Source: montreal.citynews.ca
