Montreal police arrest man in fatal attack on woman during Zoom call
Youcef Moussaoui, 33, was arrested Thursday and will face a first-degree murder charge Friday in the death of Leila Ben Salem.
MONTREAL — Montreal police have arrested a 33-year-old man in connection with the killing of a 45-year-old woman who was attacked while on a Zoom call in her downtown apartment last month.
Youcef Moussaoui was arrested Thursday afternoon in the Ville-Marie borough and is expected to appear at the Montreal courthouse Friday to be charged with first-degree murder, police said.
The arrest stems from the death of Leila Ben Salem, a 45-year-old woman who was found unresponsive inside an apartment building on René-Lévesque Boulevard near St-Christophe Street on Sept. 22.
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"It's truly despicable to kill or strike a woman," said Madani Tall, about the death of Montrealer Leïla Ben Salem, who was killed on Tuesday at her home while on a video call with a colleague.
Wellness check leads to discovery
Police say officers were called to the building at about 3:25 p.m. for a wellness check and found the victim unresponsive.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police initially classified the death as suspicious before the case was transferred to the homicide unit.
Sources later confirmed to Global News that the woman was on a work-related Zoom call when she was attacked.
Investigators remained at the scene the following day, examining the apartment building, processing the crime scene and reviewing surveillance footage as they worked to determine the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.
Not intimate partner violence
In a news release, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) says a warrant was issued for 33-year-old Youcef Moussaoui.
Police say this is not a case of intimate partner violence, though the evidence and suspected motivation will be made public during the judicial process.
They said evidence gathered during the investigation, including the alleged motive, will be made public during the court process.
The case dates back to Sept. 22, at around 3:25 p.m., when a 911 caller requested a wellness check at an apartment building located on René-Lévesque Boulevard, near Saint-Christophe Street.
While carrying out the check, police officers located an unresponsive 45-year-old woman and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Victim identified
Later, federal party leaders paid tribute to the victim, a Canada Revenue Agency employee.
The Union of Taxation Employees identified the woman as Leila Ben Salem.
It was the 19th homicide in the SPVM’s territory this year.
The SPVM say the case is the 19th homicide on their territory this year.
Police say the killing was not related to intimate partner violence.
Anyone with information about this event, that has not yet been shared with police, is asked to contact 911 or their local police station.
Anonymous and confidential tips can also be provided to Info-Crime Montréal.
With files from CBC News, Global News and CityNews