It is rather rare that a murder investigation leads to eight arrests, nine searches and mobilizes nearly 200 people. But this is the choice made by the Montreal police on Wednesday morning, in order to send a strong message and calm the ardor of street gangs.
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The vast police operation carried out in connection with the murder of Khaled Mouloudj, an 18-year-old boy, began in the early morning. Everything was done almost simultaneously to prevent the suspects from talking to each other and fleeing. In some cases, the Tactical Intervention Group (GTI) was necessary since the suspects were possibly armed. In total, 175 police officers from Montreal, Longueuil and the SQ are working on the file.
PHOTO QMI AGENCY, MAXIME DELAND
The commander of the Major Crimes Division of the SPVM, Jean-Sébastien Caron
“Today’s operation speaks for itself. We have been present since the beginning of the year, we will be present this summer. They will find us on their way,” assured Jean-Sébastien Caron, commander of the major crimes section of the SPVM, during a press briefing in the afternoon.
PHOTO QMI AGENCY, MAXIME DELAND
“It’s almost unheard of to mobilize so many people in a murder investigation. There is a message to understand there. The SPVM’s commitment to prioritizing the fight against firearms could not be clearer,” an anonymous police source told the Journal.
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Seized evidence
No less than eight arrests have been made, but the suspects, aged between 18 and 20 and already known to the police, have all been released without charges at this time.
“It’s far from over. […] We are not at the stage of accusations, we are at the stage of gathering evidence, said Commander Caron. You have to analyze all of this, it can take some time.
The nine searches also led to the seizure of numerous objects, including pieces of clothing that the suspects were possibly wearing at the time of the crime. Instruments for stealing cars have also been discovered. A parallel investigation will be opened to connect young people to the numerous vehicle thefts reported in Greater Montreal.
PHOTO QMI AGENCY, MAXIME DELAND
“Hitman”
Khaled Mouloudj, presumably a member of EGK (Everybody gets killed), a sub-group of the street gang STL (Saint-Léonard), was hit by a gunman in a moving car on March 19. He was a stone’s throw from his residence in Anjou.
According to our sources, his murder was the culmination of a series of shootouts between the STL gang and Bloc 6, another criminal group based in Anjou.
Shortly after the young man’s homicide, the SPVM arrested three young men aged 18 and 19. Although they have never been charged with murder, these young people identify themselves within the group as being the “hit men” of STL, our sources indicate.
Photo QMI Agency, Pascal Girard
Adam Mrabti Fassi, alias “Kaybi”, Ilyasse El Alaoui Benchad, alias “Bobby” and his brother Soulymane El Alaoui Benchad, alias “Freeze”, were apprehended in an apartment in Cartierville on April 5 while hiding from the police . The young men are also from EGK and have a great importance within the group. Hard blow
These arrests would have given the gang a hard blow. According to our information, they would have thereby avoided a bloody response, since STL probably intended to avenge Khaled Mouloudj by attacking members of the Bloc 6 gang.
In a recent music video associated with EGK, the rappers brandish a t-shirt on which one can read to release “Kaybi”, “Bobby” and “Freeze”.
Dangerous
But this morning, it was the turn of the Bloc 6 gang to suffer a severe blow, while those arrested in connection with the murder of Khaled Mouloudj are all members.
“They are really dangerous, says another source. They have no judgement, they are a lot more dangerous than members of traditional organized crime like the mafia. It’s crazy all the same to be told that. »
“Certainly they were linked to other violent events,” confirmed Commander Caron, about the eight individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Khaled Mouloudj.
“It’s not just one who pulled the trigger, there are often several shots. […] It’s not necessarily because [quelqu’un] did not shoot that he is not involved,” he added.