A second suspect has been arrested following the arson attack at the luxury home of the co-founder of Pornhub’s parent company more than four years ago.
Montreal police said Mohamed Aymen Tayeb, 28, was arrested Thursday morning in the city’s Ville-Marie borough. He appeared in court to face a charge of arson.
Police arrested a first suspect, 39-year-old Claudy Lafond, on Sept. 30 at Montreal’s Bordeaux jail where he was awaiting trial for attempted murder in an unrelated case. He faces charges of arson, possession of incendiary material, and breaking and entering.
The fire on the night of April 25, 2021, at the eight-bedroom mansion caused several million dollars in damage. The home, in the city’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, was listed for sale for $19 million and was under construction when police allege it was set on fire.
No one was injured.
It was owned by Feras Antoon, the co-founder and former CEO of MindGeek, which operates Pornhub and several other porn sites. The parent company has since rebranded as Aylo.
Like Lafond, Aymen Tayeb is also facing an arson charge in relation to another fire at Restaurant Chez Chantal in Saint-Calixte, Que., on April 18, 2021.
Police said Thursday that the second arrest brings their investigation to a close, but that anyone with information about the fire can still contact them by calling 911 or Info-Crime Montréal anonymously and confidentially at 514-393-1133.
