Arab Power & Youness Aithaqi: The Jailhouse Warlord
Running a criminal empire from a maximum-security cell, Youness Aithaqi turned Arab Power into Quebec’s most disruptive force — placing a $2M ransom demand on the Rizzuto family and triggering a firebombing wave across Montreal.
Arab Power is a Montreal-based street gang that has emerged as one of the most aggressive and destabilizing criminal organizations in Quebec. Under the leadership of Youness Aithaqi — directing operations from inside a maximum-security federal penitentiary — the group has declared open war on the Rizzuto crime family, defied the Hells Angels’ territorial authority, and executed a sustained campaign of firebombings, intimidation, and targeted violence against established organized crime figures. Their rise signals a fundamental shift in Quebec’s underworld: the old guard is no longer safe.
Origins & Rise
Arab Power emerged from Montreal’s street-level drug trade, drawing membership primarily from the city’s Arab-Canadian community. The group initially operated as one of many mid-tier trafficking organizations in Montreal, working within — or around — the established territories controlled by the Hells Angels and the Rizzuto family.
The organization’s trajectory changed dramatically under the leadership of Youness Aithaqi. Sentenced to federal prison, Aithaqi did not step back from criminal operations — he escalated them. Using contraband phones and an extensive network of associates on the outside, he transformed Arab Power from a street gang into a sophisticated criminal enterprise capable of executing coordinated violence against the most powerful organizations in the province.
Youness Aithaqi — The Jailhouse Warlord
Youness Aithaqi
Leader and strategic commander of Arab Power. Currently incarcerated in a maximum-security federal penitentiary but directing all major criminal operations from inside. In 2023, Aithaqi attempted to arrange a prison sniper hit on Rizzuto family heir Leonardo Rizzuto — the shooter positioned outside the prison perimeter failed to get a clear shot. When the Rizzuto family placed an $800,000 bounty on his head, Aithaqi responded by demanding $2 million from them as the price of peace — and backed the demand with a campaign of firebombings targeting Rizzuto-affiliated businesses across Montreal.
Status: Incarcerated — Maximum Security — Operations Continuing
The War with the Rizzuto Family
The conflict between Arab Power and the Rizzuto crime family is the defining criminal story in Quebec today. What began as a territorial dispute over drug distribution routes escalated into a full-scale war when Aithaqi — operating from prison — began systematically targeting Rizzuto family members and associates.
The Rizzutos responded by placing an $800,000 bounty on Aithaqi’s head. It was an unprecedented move — publicly pricing the death of a rival leader. Aithaqi’s counter was even more audacious: he sent word back demanding $2 million from the Rizzutos as the price of ending hostilities, then launched a wave of firebombings against their businesses to demonstrate he was serious.
Operating Model
- Prison Command Structure: Leadership directed from inside federal penitentiary via contraband phones and trusted lieutenants on the outside
- Zero Tribute: Refuses to pay the Hells Angels’ territorial tax or recognize Rizzuto family authority over Montreal’s drug trade
- Firebombing as Leverage: Uses arson against businesses as a primary tool of economic warfare and intimidation
- Extreme Public Violence: Willing to execute high-profile attacks — including attempted prison sniper hits — that traditional organized crime would consider too reckless
- Social Media Warfare: Uses filmed violence shared on social media as intimidation, recruitment, and proof-of-capability
- BFM Blueprint: Adopted and radically escalated the Blood Family Mafia’s model of refusing tribute and surviving through aggression
Significance — Why Arab Power Matters
Arab Power represents the most extreme expression of a new criminal philosophy taking hold in Quebec. Where the Blood Family Mafia proved you could refuse the biker tax and survive, Arab Power took the next step — declaring war on the Mafia itself and backing that declaration with sustained, coordinated violence. They are not trying to find a place within the existing hierarchy. They are trying to replace it.
The group’s ability to wage effective war while their leader sits in a maximum-security cell has exposed a critical vulnerability in the traditional model of criminal prosecution: removing the leader from the street no longer removes them from the operation. Aithaqi is arguably more dangerous inside than he would be outside — insulated from street-level risk while maintaining full strategic command.
Operational Status | Active — Firebombing campaign ongoing
Leadership | Incarcerated — Directing operations from maximum security
Rizzuto Conflict | Active War — $800K bounty vs $2M counter-demand
HA Relationship | Defiant — Refusing territorial tribute
Law Enforcement Pressure | High — Multiple agencies targeting network
Strategic Significance | Critical — Existential threat to Rizzuto family
Law Enforcement
- RCMP — Project Alliance press releases and operational updates (2024–2026)
- Le Journal de Montréal — Reporting on the Rizzuto–Arab Power conflict and firebombing campaign (2023–2026)
- CBC News — Coverage of the $800K bounty and $2M counter-demand (2023–2024)
- 98.5 Montréal — Reporting on Aithaqi’s prison operations and the sniper plot (2023–2024)
- The Gangster Report — Analysis of Arab Power’s expansion and operational model (2024–2026)
- Sûreté du Québec — Firebombing incident reports and organized crime bulletins (2024–2026)