Mafia-linked Montreal ice cream business firebombed

An ice creammanufacturer whose owner has ties to the Montreal Mafia was firebombed early Sunday morning in the city's St. Lonard borough, thoughthere was little damage.

It's the sixth time in the last month that a business linked to Domenico Arcuri has been the target of arsonists.

Police said several Molotov cocktails wereused to try to setfire tothe rear of Ital Gelati at about half past midnight. A security guard was on the premises at 8390 Creusot Street and wasn't injured. The store suffered only minor damage.

Police have no suspects so far.

Just over two weeks ago, a van in the parking lot outside the building was set ablaze. The fire spread to two other cars and the garage next door, but not the ice-cream business.

Arcuri-linked interests have been hit at least four other times since the middle of August:

• Earlier this week,three cars were torchedin the parking lot of Signa Plus Inc., a Laval, Que.-based company that supplies traffic control signs.
• A three-storey strip mall in the east-end Rivire-des-Prairies neighbourhood was attacked twice by arsonists, on Aug. 22 and again thefollowing week, though neither incident caused much damage.
• An office building in the borough of Anjou housing two city contractors a paving business and a construction company washeavily damaged by fire on Aug. 17. One of the businesses was part-owned by Arcuri at the time, while both companies list his associates Domenico Cammalleri and Domenico Miceli as shareholders.

Arcuri has ties to the Rizzuto mob family. His name appears about 20 times in summaries of wiretaps from the joint police anti-Mafia operation Project Colise, and he was spotted with Mafia bigwigs in December 2005 at the former Consenza Social Club in St. Lonard, an east-end Montreal caf where Vito Rizzuto and other mob bosses would meet.

The latest edition of the book Mafia Inc. by journalists Andr Nol and Andr Cdilot says Arcuri was at the heart of the reorganization of the Montreal mob.

But Cdilot told CBC News that Arcuri recently brokeranksand backed Salvatore Montagna, anothergangster whoallegedly sought totakecontrolin Montrealbut who ended updead last November. Arcuri could now be facing reprisals from Rizzuto loyalists.

"It's clear that Domenico Arcuri is non-persona-grata in the milieu,"Cdilot said. "He didn't choose the good clan, then now some of the Sicilians loyal to Vito Rizzuto, they prepare his return to Montreal."

Under that theory, theemerging civil strife in Montreal's underworldis a sign that the Mafia is cleaning up, or getting cleaned up, before Rizzuto's anticipated return to Canada this fall fromthe Colorado prison where he's been serving out a 10-year sentence.

Arcuri could not be reached for comment on Sunday.