MONTREAL – Early Wednesday morning, a synagogue located in a suburban area of Montreal was the subject of an incident suspected to be arson, marking the second time within a little over a year that the building has been struck by a fire-related attack.

Local authorities reported that a Jewish office building in the vicinity was also seemingly targeted, but it remains uncertain whether there is a connection between the two incidents.

According to a police spokesperson, a 911 alert was received shortly before 3 a.m. regarding a fire at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Firefighters promptly responded, extinguished the flames, and discovered an incendiary device at the site. Additionally, there was damage to a window and a door of the synagogue.

Witnesses reported seeing an individual fleeing the area shortly after the fire commenced. While smoke caused some damage to the building’s interior, the overall impact of the fire was minimal, the spokesperson confirmed. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and currently, police have not made any arrests, nor have they decided if this incident qualifies as a hate crime.

Subsequently, officers investigating the fire noticed similar damage at a nearby building, home to the West Island office of the Federation CJA, which is often visited by members of the local Jewish community. However, no incendiary device was found at this second location. Authorities are looking into potential connections between the two occurrences.

Both the synagogue and the CJA facility had previously encountered arson attempts in November 2023, which resulted in minor damage to the entrances but, fortunately, no injuries. Like the recent incident, police did not make any arrests tied to those earlier attacks.

The attacks on Wednesday prompted strong condemnation from Jewish organizations and various political leaders. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his outrage on social media, referring to the act as a “cowardly and criminal” antisemitic attack against the Jewish community in Montreal.

In a similar vein, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the incident and urged the Canadian government to take firm action, emphasizing that such acts of hatred must not be tolerated.