The owners of three businesses in NDG are wondering if they are victims of a prank or something more ominous.
Last week a cornerstore was set on fire. The flames were quickly put out and damage was limited, but when business owners were able to return to work, they found an interior hallway had been vandalized with swastikas and a pentagram.
Kobi Ben-Jacob owns the animal grooming shop Snip Doggy Dog, and shares a rear-access hallway with Fruits Monkland, the store that was damaged by the fire.
He was shocked to see the spraypaint on his door.
"We don't know whether it was really a hate crime, a crime of opportunity, kids playing around, we don't know and that's what's scary," said Ben-Jacob.
He believes the vandals came in through a side entrance but does not know if the vandalism happened before or after the fire.
Police say the two crimes could be connected.
"This is still under investigation," said Constable Dany Richer. "They are waiting for some results at this time. No suspects are arrested."
Josh Wallace lives in the area and says he knows the owner of Fruits Monkland and has seen the vandalism.
"I'm Jewish. It doesn't look like a hate crime to me," said Wallace. "They just slashed whatever symbols they could with a little bit of black spray paint very quickly on the wall, it isn't properly executed."
Ben-Jacob doesn't know why the stores were attacked.
He just hopes it's an isolated incident.
