A Canadian man who was actively seeking out Muslims to kill deliberately ran over and killed four members of The Afzal family in a horrifying act of hate-motivated violence. The man, whose name has not been released, was known to have anti-Muslim views and had been expressing his hatred for Muslims online.
On Tuesday evening, the man drove his truck into the family's home in the city of London, Ontario. Police say the man targeted his family members specifically because they were Muslim.
"This was a hate-motivated crime," said Detective Superintendent Paul Waghorn of the London Police Service. "The evidence is clear that this man was motivated by his hatred of Muslims."
[in frame - family of 4 murdered by canadian man, rally by protestors against this act]
The defense acknowledged Veltman's role in the killings but maintained that he should only be found guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge.
With the defendant's confession to police, the prosecution has "everything you could possibly need to convict in this case," prosecutor Fraser Ball told the jury.
He said Veltman had written a "terrorist manifesto," which he had discovered on his computer and in which he expressed his hatred of Muslims and promoted white nationalism.
Wearing a helmet and body armor, the accused "dressed like a soldier" and "pumped himself up" prior to the attack. Fraser claimed, "He was hunting Muslims to kill."
The Crown attorney said that Veltman turned his pick-up truck around and accelerated "pedal to the metal," jumping the curb as he drove into the Afzaal family as he drove past them on a London street.
The dead fatally flew towards the sky.
The deceased included Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their daughter Yumnah, 15, and her 74-year-old grandmother Talat Afzaal. A nine-year-old boy who was left orphaned after the collision sustained severe but non-fatal injuries.
After being taken into custody in a neighboring parking lot, Veltman told authorities that he wished to "send a strong message" opposing Muslim immigration.
Nathaniel Veltman, now 22, is on trial for wiping out three generations of the Afzaal family in June 2021 in London, Ontario.
He pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder, which prosecutors say were premeditated, as well as one count of attempted murder.
[image credits: BBC, indiatoday, nydaily]
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