A 45-year-old government employee was allegedly murdered inside her apartment while participating in a virtual work meeting, and nearly a month later, police have arrested a suspect in the disturbing case.
Leïla Ben Salem, an employee of the Canada Revenue Agency, was found dead in her Montreal, Canada, apartment on September 22 after authorities received a request to check on her welfare.
On Thursday, October 15, investigators arrested Youcef Moussaoui, 33, in connection with her death. He appeared in a Montreal courtroom the following day and was formally charged with first-degree murder.
According to Canadian media reports, Ben Salem was taking part in an online training session with colleagues when she was attacked inside her downtown apartment.
The circumstances surrounding the video call have drawn particular attention to the case, although police have not publicly disclosed exactly what her co-workers witnessed or heard during the incident.
Officers responded to the apartment building near René-Lévesque Boulevard and Saint-Christophe Street around 3:25 p.m. on September 22 after receiving a request for a welfare check.
They discovered Ben Salem unconscious inside the residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators subsequently classified her death as a homicide.
Local French-language media have reported that Moussaoui worked as a building caretaker and allegedly attacked Ben Salem with a blunt object. However, police have not publicly confirmed the suspect’s precise relationship to the victim or released the evidence supporting the murder charge.
Authorities have ruled out intimate-partner violence as a factor but have declined to reveal a possible motive.
Montreal police said the evidence gathered during their investigation, including information about the suspected motive, would be presented through the court process.
Ben Salem was reportedly the mother of a 12-year-old boy, making her death especially devastating for her family.
Her killing also prompted a response from Canada’s highest levels of government.
Speaking in the House of Commons shortly after the tragedy, Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed condolences to her loved ones and acknowledged her dedication to public service.
“Ms. Ben Salem was a valued member of the Canada Revenue Agency, dedicated to serving Canadians,” Carney said, noting that she had been performing her job when the attack occurred.
The case was recorded as Montreal’s 19th homicide of 2026.
Investigators spent weeks examining the circumstances of Ben Salem’s death before obtaining an arrest warrant for Moussaoui.
Following his arrest on October 15, the suspect appeared before a judge the next afternoon. Canadian media reported that he remained largely expressionless during the brief court appearance.
Under Canadian law, first-degree murder generally involves a killing that is planned and deliberate, although certain other circumstances can also qualify. A conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, with parole eligibility ordinarily beginning after 25 years.
Moussaoui has not been convicted, and the allegations against him remain to be tested in court.
His next scheduled court appearance is December 21, when the case is expected to continue through the legal process.
