A popular kosher restaurant in Montreal was destroyed in what police are investigating as a possible arson attack, the National Post reported Saturday.
Firefighters were called to Nöam Restaurant at about 3:15 a.m. after a blaze broke out at the Jewish-owned business in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. The building sustained extensive damage before the fire was brought under control.
Montreal police spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron told the National Post that someone was seen leaving the premises shortly after the fire began. The investigation has been transferred to the police arson squad, though authorities have not yet determined a motive.
Nöam served Mediterranean, Italian and international dishes and was considered a popular destination among members of Montreal’s Jewish community.
Canadian MP Anthony Housefather called the incident “a horrific tragedy” for the restaurant’s owners, who he said had invested heavily in the business, as well as for its employees, customers and the surrounding community.
Housefather said the fire “must be investigated as a hate crime.”
“I am absolutely disgusted to see what appears to be an arson attack on a local kosher restaurant overnight,” he wrote on X. “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.”
Footage of the blaze was shared online by Montreal resident and Tel Aviv Institute senior fellow Hen Mazzig. He said police were investigating a possible suspect who was seen walking away from the scene.
“We can’t say for sure the motive was antisemitic yet, but the signs certainly suggest it,” Mazzig wrote.
Montreal newspaper columnist and city councillor Mike Cohen described the incident as what “can only be described as a major hate crime,” saying the restaurant had been “burnt to the ground.”
Another Montreal city councillor, Leslie Roberts, wrote: “Arson is a crime. Antisemitism is a hate crime.”
The Israeli Consulate in Montreal said it was following the incident “with great concern” and described the fire as “a direct attack on a Jewish-owned business.”
“We call on the authorities for a quick and serious investigation, and prosecution of those responsible,” the consulate said.
Quebec Sen. Leo Housakos called the suspected arson “deeply disturbing.”
“While the investigation is ongoing, it’s no wonder so many Jews feel increasingly unsafe in the very city they helped build,” he wrote. “Antisemitism has indeed found a home in Canada.”
Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller also called for the incident to be investigated as a hate crime.
Police have not publicly established that antisemitism was the motive, and no arrests have been announced.