A Lebanese restaurant in Docklands, Melbourne, has been set alight in an alleged arson attack in the early hours of Friday morning.
Victoria Police has confirmed the incident, which occurred at Almina on Glenti Place, prompting emergency services to respond to reports of suspicious activity around 2:50am.
According to witnesses, three assailants were observed smashing the restaurant’s windows before deploying a suspected accelerant to set the establishment ablaze.
The perpetrators were then seen fleeing the scene before getting in a vehicle.
Images captured at the scene reveal one window with a gaping hole, shattered from the impact, while another displays several large cracks.
Investigators and an arson chemist are expected to examine the crime scene throughout Friday morning.
“Investigators are appealing for anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area or with information to come forward,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
This incident follows closely on the heels of a series of suspicious blazes across Melbourne.
Just last month, a Melbourne crime boss’s restaurant, Karizma in Docklands, was targeted twice in three days.
The alleged assailants, caught on CCTV, smashed a window before pouring accelerant into the restaurant and setting it ablaze.
The second attack completely destroyed the venue, forcing around 60 residents living in an apartment above to evacuate.
The police suspect a connection between these previous arson attacks and a broader series of incidents across Victoria, mainly targeting tobacco stores over the past eight months.
Detectives will now explore whether the recent fire at Almina is linked to this pattern of criminal activity.
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