Send this page to someone via email Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect after an alleged arson at an east-end hotel housing refugees last week. On Oct. 2 just after 10:30 p.m., police and fire services were called to the Radisson Hotel at 55 Hallcrown Place for reports of a fire. When they arrived, authorities extinguished the fire and found that it originated from the third floor. It was later determined that the fire was started intentionally, police said. “Everybody was running out and somebody told me the hotel caught fire so we also ran,” said Ak Shamsuddin, a refugee from Bangladesh who has been in the hotel for about a month with his wife and three-year-old daughter. Story continues below advertisement Shamsuddin said he feels the incident might be a result of anti-immigrant sentiment. “It’s not fair,” he said. Mario Calla, the executive director of Costi Immigrant Services, also alleged the incident may be tied to an individual with far-right beliefs. “We had a series of trespassing intrusions at the hotel last week,” Calla said. “It was very clear from the people who came in and did some videos on their iPhones and posted them that they’re from right-wing, white supremacist ideology. And so that seemed to attract more attention and then this arson happened. So it was very clearly related.” READ MORE: Calls to end policy that blocks child refugees in Canada from reuniting with parents Police said there are currently no indications the incidents are related or that the fire may have been started by a person with anti-immigrant beliefs, but they are continuing to investigate. Police released two security images Friday hoping that someone would be able to identify the suspect. Earlier in the day, police described the suspect as a woman, but they have since withdrawn that description and now say they are unsure of the suspect’s gender. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Police identify woman wanted for arson in East York fire They are described as five-feet-six to five-feet-eight-inches tall with a medium build. At the time of the incident, they were wearing a black hooded jacket, dark pants, and blue running shoes. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477. View image in full screen Police also released this security image of the suspect. Handout / Toronto Police – With files from Catherine McDonald<doc-sep>Share this Story: WARMINGTON: Facts don't seem to matter in North York hotel fire story WARMINGTON: Facts don't seem to matter in North York hotel fire story Article content There are still more questions than answers when it comes to the investigation into a suspected arson at a North York hotel two weeks ago. But one thing Toronto police want to make clear about the investigation into the Oct. 2 fire on the third floor at the Radisson Hotel Toronto East at Victoria Park Ave. and Hwy. 401 is there is no evidence it was an attack on refugees staying there — a notion some have irresponsibly been floating and reporting. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or WARMINGTON: Facts don't seem to matter in North York hotel fire story Back to video “I spoke with the detective earlier today and there is no indication at this time that the arson is an attack on the immigrants staying at the hotel,” a Toronto police spokesman wrote in an email. This was sent after another police source told me the investigation into the fire that started at 10:34 p.m. does not involve the “hotel” or “hotel guests” being targeted. It seemed like an important fact. Yet every media report I have watched or read has ignored this and instead pushed the narrative the fire was fuelled by anti-refugee sentiment. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content It’s a good angle that I would cover too if it were true. It may turn out to be true, but it is not yet clear that’s the case. Still, many went ahead and reported the supposed connection as fact. There are more problems in this story. Police put out a news release Friday stating: “Woman wanted in arson investigation, 55 Hallcrown Place.” Media are always glad to help police catch violent criminals and more than willing to run a story with a suspect’s photo. But there was real confusion over this one and things were not adding up. Police sources told me the person in the picture may not be a woman after all and that he or she is not at this point officially considered a suspect — just a person police want to talk to. He or she may end up being a suspect, but they are not saying that at this point. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The police statement was later clarified that officially, this was not a “wanted” person but a “person of interest wanted in arson investigation.” The fog didn’t stop there. Mario Calla, executive director of the immigrant services agency COSTI, which has been connecting refugee claimants with services in Toronto, said he watched surveillance video of the arson and saw a woman wearing a “white coat” carrying a white bag that appeared to show a “red” gas can inside. The image put out by police showed a woman wearing darker colours carrying a white grocery-type bag that does appear to contain a red gas can. Calla also told me while police have not verified the attack was directed at the refugees, his feeling is the attack was someone trying to light the gas can on fire and was motivated by hate. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content While he admitted police won’t know that until they talk to the suspect, he said “it’s clear to me that someone came in from the outside within the context of trying to hurt the refugees. There is no other motivation that we can figure as to why they would want to this.” Police sources tell me there are plenty of other motivations being looked at, including mental health or the possibility of it being a “fire bug.” Calla also said people have “breached” the hotel’s security to make videos that espouse “white supremacy ideology” and are “spreading lies” about “feces” being on the walls. He said people are “distorting” the truth about conditions there. A number of online reviews have claimed the hotel was chaotic during their stay, and pointed fingers at refugees staying there. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Controversially, one online post on tripadvisor.ca claimed Toronto Animal Services was called to deal with a complaint about goats being slaughtered in the hotel, a claim Calla called it “way over the top” and “so absurd.” “There are no goats in the hotel,” he said. The hotel, however, wouldn’t comment either way on that claim, or any others, and has referred all questions to COSTI. Meanwhile, for the refugees staying there, who came to our country looking for help, none of this good. Regardless of whatever twisted reason the fire was set, regardless of what police eventually find, it’s terrifying for them. —With files from The Canadian Press jwarmington@postmedia.com We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>Update Oct. 12, 2018: Toronto police have released images taken from security cameras of a woman they believe may have been involved. Read story transcript Toronto police are investigating a fire they believe was deliberately set at a Toronto hotel housing refugees last week, stoking fears in some that it was motivated by anti-migrant sentiment. A gasoline can was discovered — on fire — in a third-floor hallway of a Radisson hotel in east Toronto shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 2. The hotel's smoke alarm alerted an employee, who was able to kick the can into the stairwell, and then put it out. "It was like a nightmare," said one refugee from Sudan, who is staying at the hotel with her husband and eight-month-old daughter. The Current is not revealing her identity out of concern for the family's safety. We were holding the children — even other people's children. - A Sudanese refugee who was in the hotel the night the fire was discovered She described hearing the fire alarm late that night and trying to evacuate via the stairs. "We were holding the children — even other people's children — because they were in hurry and they were crying. Most of them they were almost sleeping," she said. No one was injured, police say, and the residents returned that night. Police believe the fire was deliberately set and confirm a melted gasoline container and matches were found at the scene. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage from the hotel, but there have been no arrests. The lit can left scorch marks in the hallway as it was kicked towards the stairwell. (Julie Crysler/CBC) Fire could have been 'horrific' The Sudanese refugee said she believed the hotel was targeted because of the refugees staying there. "I know there are some small groups … some people that are protesting, that they are saying: 'They are taking our money, they are taxing our taxes, just to give them a better life,'" she said. "But it's not true, we just want to find a safe place." The same hotel is believed to be featured in an online video expressing anti-refugee sentiment, produced by a group that describes itself as "dedicated to promoting Nationalism and exposing the idiocy of the Left." There is no free money ... somebody wrote that just for that purpose, to discredit us, to malign us - Louis, a refugee living in the hotel In one scene, the video shows the words "free money" written in the hotel hallway. Residents at the hotel had seen the video and were upset by it. "A lot of things were said about us and the management, which are not true," said Louis, a refugee. The Current has agreed not to reveal his full name for security reasons. "There is no free money," he said. "Somebody wrote that just for that purpose, to discredit us, to malign us." The hotel told The Current that it was an honour to assist the city of Toronto by providing housing and its management is installing extra surveillance cameras in the wake of the fire. COSTI — the agency that has housed some of the refugees in the hotel — has hired extra security personnel. The fire was a 'serious attempt' to burn the hotel down, said Mario Calla, COSTI's executive director. (Submitted by Mario Calla) "This could have exploded and created, you know, [a] horrific, horrific fire," said Mario Calla, COSTI's executive director. He pointed out the burned carpet where the can had been lit, and the extra burned patches where it had landed while being kicked toward the stairwell. "We are talking about a serious attempt at burning this place down," he said. Housing arrangement draws criticism As of Oct. 1, the hotel was home to 577 refugees. Patricia Anderson, who works with the city's Shelter, Support and Housing Administration division, said that approximately 2,600 refugee claimants are currently in the city's permanent shelter system and the temporary refugee response programs. Many refugees have moved to hotel accommodation from college and university dorms in recent weeks, when students returned after summer break. The housing arrangement has drawn criticism from some refugee advocates who want to see a more coordinated response. In August, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario's minister responsible for immigration, said the federal government should foot the entire bill for supporting asylum seekers. She said that it could take "upwards of two years" to process claims and move people to more permanent accommodation. "It really isn't a sustainable process," she said. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen was unavailable for an interview but in a statement to The Current, his office wrote: "It's not uncommon for governments or a service provider organisations to use temporary accommodation such as hotel rooms to house refugees." Listen to the full conversation at the top of this page. Written by Padraig Moran. Produced by Julie Crysler. With files from CBC News.<doc-sep>
Toronto police are investigating an alleged arson at a hotel temporarily housing asylum seekers amid concerns raised by an immigrant services organization about anti-refugee sentiment circulating online. Police said they are looking for a suspect after a fire was started on the third floor of the Radisson Hotel Toronto East on the night of Oct. 2. They said the fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured. They said they believe the fire was started intentionally, but they have not spelled out a possible motive. "There is no indication at this time that the arson is an attack on the refugees staying at the hotel," police said in an emailed statement. But Mario Calla, the executive director of COSTI Immigrant Services, which has been connecting refugee claimants with services in Toronto, said he believes the fire "targeted" the asylum seekers. He said he's worried the arson could be linked to misinformation spreading about the refugee claimants on the hotel's TripAdvisor page, along with videos that have been posted online. "We have to wait for police to hear for sure what the motive was, but it's hard to think there was any other reason," said Calla, adding that in the days before the fire, "people were filming in the hotel and there were videos posted maligning the refugee claimants." He referenced a series of videos posted on YouTube in late September and earlier this month that accused the refugee claimants of damaging the hotel. Calla said around the same time there were TripAdvisor reviews of the hotel that made "extreme" statements that the refugee claimants were causing chaos, including one review that said goats were being slaughtered in the hotel. "That is all false," said Calla. "This was posted by people with white nationalist views. These people don't want refugees in Canada." He said on the day of the fire, there were "white nationalists" gathered outside the hotel. Police said investigators "have not advised of any chaos in the hotel," and the Radisson's management directed all media requests to COSTI. In August, the federal government announced it would rent hotel rooms for migrants who had been staying at college dormitories in the Greater Toronto Area during the summer. The hotel stays were supposed to last until Sept. 30, but they will be extended for four weeks while the federal and municipal governments work out a more long-term solution. Calla said the hotel is temporarily housing 577 refugee claimants, most of whom are from Nigeria. DJ, a 38-year-old man who only gave his first name, said he and his family are refugee claimants from Nigeria who have been staying at the Radisson for about four months. He said he grew "concerned" for the safety of his three young children after he heard from other occupants that the fire may have been deliberately set. "We were sleeping and the fire alarm woke up me and my children. I am worried for them. I am concerned," he said, adding he hopes to find a permanent home for his family soon. Calla said as a result of the incident, along with the "anti-refugee" sentiments online, the hotel has hired additional security guards and installed more surveillance cameras. "The refugee claimants are good people and they are grateful to be staying at the hotel," said Calla. "These people came to escape their (home country) to be safe, and now they don't feel safe."