Ninth Montreal cafe firebombed in 3 weeks

MONTREAL, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Police in Montreal responded early Tuesday to a Molotov cocktail firebombing of a cafe, the third in 24 hours and ninth in three weeks, officials said.

An automatic alarm went off around 3:55 a.m. and police found the empty cafe's front window had been smashed and an incendiary device had been thrown inside, The (Montreal) Gazette reported.

The fire burned itself out by the time officers arrived, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.

Two similar firebombings were reported early Monday and those were also small, causing no injuries, The Gazette said.

Police said they're convinced the attacks are related, but aren't certain whether they're Mafia or gang-related, the reports said.

A reluctance of anyone willing to talk about the attacks is hampering the investigation, police said.