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.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police said they believed the Almina restaurant in Docklands Drive was broken into, and accelerant was poured in the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A smashed window and a jerry could be seen at the site at about 3:45am today.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese restaurant also went up in flames in December 2023 following reports of suspicious activity.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at The George Hotel in Cecil Street at about 2:20am today.<\/p>\n
“Emergency services responded and a small fire was promptly extinguished, causing minimal damage,” a statement from Victoria Police said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“No one was inside the venue at the time of the incident.”<\/p>\n
Police said the offenders fled the scene before authorities arrived, and despite a search of the area, they could not be located.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n