Montreal police have just arrested two suspects in connection with the fire that occurred last Friday in a building in Old Montreal which caused the death of two people.
This is what the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) indicated in a brief press release. The head of the Major Crimes Section, Commander Jean-Sébastien Caron, is due to take stock of the situation during a press scrum on Friday afternoon. He will be accompanied by Inspector David Shane, responsible for communications.
According to our information, the two suspects are aged 18 and 20.
Quickly, on the social network X, Mayor Valérie Plante praised the work of the police. “I congratulate the SPVM teams who made rapid arrests in connection with the fire in Old Montreal. These criminal acts will never be tolerated and the guilty will face justice. These arrests are a show of force by the SPVM which will continue to shed light on this criminal act,” she said.
Two people lost their lives during this fire. They are Léonor Geraudie, aged 43, and her seven-year-old daughter, Vérane, French nationals. Two other people were injured. At the time of the disaster, there were 25 people in the building.
Earlier this week, Quebec’s chief coroner ordered a public inquiry into this tragedy. The investigation could be combined with that into the fire at Place d’Youville, which caused seven victims in 2023, but for the moment, neither investigation will be able to start until the criminal proceedings are completed.
The two buildings are the property of Émile Benamor, a controversial lawyer who sued the City for 7.5 million a few months ago, alleging several faults in fire prevention. However, the Superior Court ultimately ruled in favor of the City on the majority of points.
The first, that of Place d’Youville, was used in particular for short-term tourist rentals on the Airbnb platform, the second as a youth hostel.
According to several police sources, it was the Arab Power organization which could be at the origin of last Friday’s fire. This group would take advantage of the debt of traders and restaurateurs caused by the pandemic to carry out extortion, players in the restaurant sector said with concern.
With The Canadian Press