Rabat – The provincial police service for the Canadian province of Quebec has arrested two male suspects accused of first-degree murder of a Moroccan young man, Achraf Thimoumi.
On August 8, Thimoumi was found dead in a vehicle in Stoneham, Canada.
The provincial police service arrested Keven Prevost-Bouchard and Eric Guenette, aged 35 and 34, on Wednesday, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio-Canada.
The two suspects appeared at the Quebec City courthouse on Thursday morning during a video conference. The judge ordered the two men to remain in custody given the nature of the charges filed against them.
Prevost-Bouchard and Guenette are expected to return to court on December 5 for the disclosure of evidence.
As the two suspects remain subject to the investigation led by the Quebec police, the authorities stated in a press release quoted by Radio-Canada that the investigation indicates a potential link between the crime motive and “the world of drugs.”
On Thursday, Prevost-Bouchard appeared in court from the Roberval prison where he is serving his prison sentence for another crime. He was arrested in early September for robbery in Dolbeau-Mistassini, a town located in northern Quebec.
Guenette attended the court session from the Quebec station in Dolbeau. The suspect resides in Normandin, near Albanel.
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According to Canadian Criminal law, “Everyone who commits first-degree murder or second-degree murder is guilty of an indictable offense and shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life.”
However, details on the suspects’ involvement in the murder of Thimoumi are yet to be announced by the Quebec provincial police service.
The arrest of the two suspects brought relief to the Thimoumi family who currently live in Morocco.
Achraf moved to Montreal in 2019 to pursue studies in welding, he then changed his major to automotive mechanics.
The victim’s sister Oumayma Thimoumi told Radio-Canada that she was relieved to learn about the arrests but she expressed her surprise that the murder is being linked to illicit drug activities.
The victim’s friend Thibault Poret said that justice can finally be done for the “good young man.”
