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A security guard was threatened with a gun when a restaurant caught fire in the second arson attack at the Melbourne precinct this week.
The latest incident came as four children were charged by detectives investigating fires linked to an ongoing conflict over illicit tobacco in Victoria.
The guard was threatened with a firearm during the latest arson attack at Al Nafoura restaurant in Mill Park at around 5am on Saturday.
He was not injured, Victoria Police said.
About 20 minutes later, emergency services were called to a nearby car fire and investigators are looking into whether the two suspicious fires are related.
A guard was threatened with a firearm during an arson attack at Mill Park’s Al Nafoura restaurant (pictured) at around 5am on Saturday.
It came as police revealed four boys were charged over an arson attack at the same Mill Park restaurant on Tuesday, as well as a fire at a Ballarat tobacco shop and an aggravated robbery in Wonga Park.
Two 16-year-old girls from Mulgrave and Pakenham, a 15-year-old boy from Springvale and a 14-year-old boy from Mulgrave were charged after being arrested during raids on three houses on Friday.
The Pakenham girl was charged with two counts of criminal damage by arson, conduct endangering life and motor vehicle theft.
She was remanded in custody while the other three teenagers were granted bail.
The Springvale boy was charged with several offences, including two counts of aggravated robbery, the Mulgrave boy was charged with robbery and aggravated burglary and the Mulgrave girl was charged with theft of a motor vehicle.
The latest incident came as four children were charged by detectives investigating fires linked to an ongoing conflict over illicit tobacco in Victoria.
They were charged by detectives from the Lunar Taskforce, which is investigating more than 40 fires linked to a conflict between warring crime syndicates over illegal tobacco profits in Victoria.
Police allege the Wonga Park thefts occurred when a white Isuzu D-Max and a silver Ford Ranger were stolen between February 19 and 20.
The Ford Ranger was then used in a firebomb attack at the Emerald Reception Center in Thomastown on February 22 before being found burned in Bundoora, detectives said.
A 20-year-old man from St Albans, who was previously out on bail, appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with the attack.
Police allege the other vehicle was involved in an attempted arson attack at the Mill Park restaurant in the early hours of Tuesday and another arson attack at a tobacco shop in Ballarat on Wednesday.