Fire at Halifax barber shop deemed suspicious

A Halifax barber shop was damaged early Sunday morning in what police are calling a suspicious fire, and a family member worries the business was targeted because of the family's ethnicity.

Halifax Regional Police said the fire was reported at 1:16 a.m. at Barran Barber Shop, located in a strip mall on Bayers Road. No one was injured and police are investigating.

The storefront window was smashed, but it's unclear if the windows had been broken before firefighters arrived at the scene, or after.

Halifax Fire told CBC News that investigators will be speaking to firefighters who responded to find out.

But a family member at the scene on Sunday wondered why one business was damaged.

"Why didn't they [break] this one or that one?" said Omar Al Isso, as he pointed to two unharmed establishments located on either side of the barber shop. His nephews, Jakar and Masoud Al Isso, own the business. 

"Why the barber shop owned by two Kurdish guys, newcomers?"

Al Isso and his nephews were at the shop assessing the damage on Sunday afternoon as insurance adjusters set up a barrier.

Water could still be heard dripping inside the store. A couch looked like it had been burned.

He said his nephews found out about the fire after getting a knock on the door from police Sunday morning.

Al Isso said the family couldn't imagine something like this happening to the barber shop. The shop was named after Al Isso — Barran is his Kurdish name.

"I hope the police will find out how it's happened and why, that's the only thing that's pissing me off and making me worried. We're not harming anybody, we are friendly with all groups," he said.

"But I don't know, there's some people hating without reason — that's a different story. The way it's looking, it looks like a hate crime."

He said two years ago his nephews arrived in Canada from northern Syria, where they worked as barbers. CBC News covered the opening of the shop in March 2018.

"They were happy and they were working and busy and they got busier and busier and everything was good until this thing happened," said Al Isso. 

Al Isso said his nephews plan to reopen their business as soon as possible.

Police are looking for any information about the fire. Anonymous tips can be sent to Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).