Montreal police detain suspect in downtown woman's fatal attack during Zoom call

Montreal police announced the detention of 33-year-old Youcef Moussaoui, who had an outstanding arrest warrant, in relation to the death of 45-year-old Leila Ben Salem. Ben Salem was found unresponsive in her downtown apartment on September 22 after police were called for a wellness check at about 3:25 p.m. The location was an apartment building on René-Lévesque Boulevard near St-Christophe Street. Authorities say she was on a work-related Zoom call when she was attacked and later pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect was taken into custody Thursday in the Ville-Marie borough and is slated to appear before a Montreal courthouse on Friday, facing a first-degree murder charge. Police have ruled out intimate-partner violence and plan to disclose investigative evidence, including the motive, as the court proceedings unfold.