Three people are in police custody following a suspicious fire at a restaurant in Melbourne’s Docklands, and a Molotov cocktail has been thrown at a pub in South Melbourne.
Victoria Police said they believed the Almina restaurant in Docklands Drive was broken into, and accelerant was poured in the building.
A smashed window and a jerry could be seen at the site at about 3:45am today.
The Lebanese restaurant also went up in flames in December 2023 following reports of suspicious activity.
Meanwhile, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at The George Hotel in Cecil Street at about 2:20am today.
“Emergency services responded and a small fire was promptly extinguished, causing minimal damage,” a statement from Victoria Police said.
“No one was inside the venue at the time of the incident.”
Police said the offenders fled the scene before authorities arrived, and despite a search of the area, they could not be located.
A crime scene has now been established, and detectives from Operation Eclipse are investigating whether it is linked to a series of incidents targeting licensed premises across inner Melbourne.
Police announced the new specialist operation on Tuesday and said it would focus on “those who are pulling the strings” behind the “extremely concerning” arson attacks.
Police said 15 incidents from the past two weeks were likely to be linked.
The majority of the attacks have occurred across the CBD, South Melbourne and Prahran entertainment precincts, with restaurants and bars the main targets of the arson attacks.