Ottawa police investigate arson attempt in apartment building as protest chaos continues

‘Thankfully, no one was hurt, but this story could’ve ended very, very differently,’ says Ottawa mayor Jim Watson

As anti-vaccine mandate protests continue to rage in Ottawa, police are investigating what appears to be an attempt at arson in a local apartment building.

Surveillance footage from the building, located on Lisgar Street in downtown Ottawa, shows two men entering the lobby, igniting several fire-starter bricks on the floor, and taping the front doors shut.

The Ottawa Police Service released still shots of the suspects on Monday, asking the public for tips.

“We are asking for help to identify two individuals as persons of interest in an arson investigation,” the department said in a tweet.

The fire only caused “minor damage”, police said, but local officials say the incident has only added to a growing sense of lawlessness.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt, but this story could’ve ended very, very differently,” Ottawa’s mayor, Jim Watson, said at a city councillors meeting on Monday. “The lives of innocent people are at risk, right now, right here.”

Mr Watson also addressed the anti-vaccine mandate protesters, who have rocked the city with noisy demonstrations for more than a week.

“Show human decency and leave our community now that you’ve made your point,” Mr Watson told them.

Tenants of the building say they no longer feel safe.

“It feels lawless downtown,” James Geling, who lives in the apartment complex, told the Ottawa Citizen. “It feels like you can get away with anything.”

“We don’t have a sense of security right now,” Matias Munoz, another tenant, told Global News. “Everybody’s terrified. Everybody’s worried about violence. Everybody’s worried about being assaulted.”

Mr Munoz posted a viral Twitter thread alerting followers to the situation.

“I’ve been hesitating to post this publicly, but I feel I must for the safety of downtown Ottawa residents. Here are the facts: Last night two arsonists brought a full package of firestarter bricks into our building’s lobby at 5AM,” he wrote on Twitter.

Protesters have now occupied the city for 11 days, with no end in sight. The demonstrators, many of whom arrived by truck, have largely chosen honking as their language of protest, tormenting residents with constant noise and gridlock. On Sunday, Mayor Watson declared a state of emergency, and members of Canadian Parliament demanded an end to the chaos.

“This is the furthest thing from peaceful protest,” MP Mona Fortier told Global News.