Restaurants hit in ‘hate crime’ arson attacks
POLICE INVESTIGATE ANTI-SEMITIC LINK AS TWO BUSINESSES ARE TARGETED WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS
TWO arson attacks on kosher restaurants in Prestwich - one of which was hit for the second time in just over a year - are being treated as linked anti-Semitic hate crimes by police.
Ta’am Deli and Grill, on Bury New Road, was attacked on Friday night by two men who threw milk cartons filled with petrol at the restaurant.
After the homemade devices failed to ignite, a rock was thrown at the front window, smashing it.
The restaurant was targeted by arsonists last May when firebugs threw petrol around the eatery before setting it alight.
Dramatic CCTV showed flames ripping through the restaurant. Incredibly, the attack only caused ‘minimal’ damage to the interior.
Owners Martine and Amos Vaizman said the fact the whole building didn’t burn down was a ‘miracle.’ The pair have now been left assessing the damage following the latest attack, which they did not want to comment on.
Detectives say the incident at Ta’am is thought to be linked to another attack at JS Restaurant, on King’s Road, yesterday morning.
Two men smashed through a ground floor window and set fire to the property. Firefighters from Broughton, Whitefield and Agecroft, were called to the incident shortly before 4am.
Both restaurants were closed at the time of the attacks and no-one was injured.
People living nearby told the M.E.N. how shocked they were by the incidents.
An employee from a neighbouring business to JS said: “I can’t believe it, they are such a nice family.
“It’s just awful what has happened, it’s a quiet area. There’s never been a problem before that I know of.”
Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Cadden, of GMP’s Bury Borough, said: “Thankfully no-one was injured in either attack, but we are treating these as anti-Semitic hate crimes.
“This is clearly very worrying for businesses and people living in the area and I want to offer you my assurances that we have increased patrols in the area and have a team investigating these linked crimes.
“We are working alongside the Community Security Trust and if anyone in the area has concerns, I would urge you to come and talk to us.
“If you have any information about the attacks, no matter how small, I would urge you to get in touch, as you may have information that could help us.”
Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which works to protect Jewish communities, is working with the Police and local businesses.
Amanda Bomsztyk, CST northern regional director, said: “CST thanks the Police and fire service for their response to these incidents.
“We ask our community to be calm, vigilant and to report suspicious, criminal or antiSemitic behaviour to GMP and CST.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 206 06/06/17, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.