The anarchist group claiming responsibility for firebombing a Royal Bank branch in Ottawa, and which released a video of the fiery protest, says "we will be there" when Canada hosts the G8 and G20 summits next month.

Identifying itself only as FFFC-Ottawa, the group posted a communique online saying it targeted the bank because it sponsored the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver "on stolen indigenous land."

"The Vancouver Olympic Games are over, but a torch is still burning," reads the message released on an independent media website. "An RBC branch can be found in every corner of Kanada. We pass the torch to all those who would resist the trampling of native rights, of the rights of us all, and resist the ongoing destruction of our planet. We say: The Fire This Time."

A two-minute video clip attached to the message shows people leaving the Ottawa bank as a bright orange flash engulfs the inside of the building at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. No one was hurt; initial estimates put the damage at $300,000.

The communique goes on to say "we will be there" when world leaders convene "to make decisions that will further their policies of exploitation of people and the environment" at the G8 summit in Huntsville, Ont., and the G20 in Toronto in June.

The Royal Bank's headquarters are in the heart of Toronto's financial district, within the security zone of the summit.

The company also has at least two other bank branches and three bank machines within the boundaries.

"Our focus is very much on keeping employees, clients, as well as our branches safe and secure [during the G20 summit]," said Gillian McArdle, a spokeswoman for RBC. "We're not going to comment on the group that has claimed responsibility or respond to the inflammatory statements of groups that use violence as a method to communicate their views and perspectives."

The company is making plans for employees to work off-site or at home during the summit, she added.

Peter Van Loan, the Minister of International Trade, condemned the violent act yesterday.

Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said, "We will not be influenced by thugs."

Police in Toronto are preparing for surging crowds of protesters during the G20 and have extensive security plans in place. Closed-circuit television cameras are already being installed throughout the downtown core; residents who live in the security zone are bracing for lockdowns. "We've always been hopeful that most people will come and protest peacefully and responsibly, but we're obviously planning for any eventuality," said Meaghan Gray, spokeswoman for the G20's Integrated Security Unit.

National Post, with files from Kenyon Wallace