Montreal police have arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with two recent incidents outside Hampstead town hall, in which the Israeli and Hampstead flags were set ablaze.
The first incident happened on Aug. 22, and the second a few days later on Aug. 25.
According to Montreal police, there was no damage to the building and no one was injured.
In a news release on Wednesday, police said the man was arrested in the city’s Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough on Tuesday.
A search carried out in a home allowed investigators with the arson squad to “seize various pieces of evidence.”
Police said the investigation was carried out with support from its hate crimes unit.
In an email to CBC, Sarah-Eve Longtin, a spokesperson for Hampstead, an on-island Montreal suburb, said the town had increased security measures following the arson attacks, but wouldn’t specify what measures were being implemented, citing safety and operational concerns.
“I can confirm that, on both occasions, the Israeli and Hampstead flags in front of Town Hall were the only items that were burned or damaged,” Longtin said.
The suspect remains in custody and is expected to appear at the Montreal courthouse later in the day on Wednesday.
It is not yet known what charges he could be facing.
