Alim Cobon says he has no idea who threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of his Montreal North barber shop

'I'm just happy to still be alive': "Alim Cobon says he has no idea who threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of his Montreal North barber shop early yesterday, but his neighbours worry that a rash of recent firebombings is the work of street gangs looking to consolidate their territory.
Cobon's business was modest, located in the refurbished garage of a four-plex at Charleroi St. and Racette Ave. He was doing well, his customers say. His close-cropped haircuts had earned him a devoted following in the neighbourhood and among the male patrons of the Turkish cafe across the street. He had just bought a house in anticipation of his upcoming wedding and often worked late hours to earn extra money.
But yesterday all that remained of Salon de Coiffure Nathalie, which Cobon purchased two years ago, was the snow shelter covering the driveway. Inside, the grey leather chairs, sinks and equipment were destroyed or badly charred, the floor littered with broken glass.
Cobon was at home asleep when he was awakened at about 3 a.m. by an anonymous male phone caller speaking French, who warned him that his business would be torched if he didn't show up at the salon immediately. Cobon says he jumped out of bed, headed straight there and waited until 5:30 a.m.
'I don't know who they were or what they wanted. When nobody came I went back home,' Cobon told The Gazette. 'Then at 6 o'clock the police phoned to say my business was on fire.
'I'm just happy to still be alive.'"

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