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Canadian man found guilty of murdering Muslim family in truck attack | Islamophobia News<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old ran over and killed four members of the family in 2021, leaving nine-year-old boy orphaned.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A Canadian man inspired by white nationalist beliefs has been found guilty of murdering four members of a Muslim family by running them over with a pick-up truck in an attack that sent waves of shock, grief and fear across the country and spurred calls to tackle Islamophobia.<\/p>\n On Thursday, 22-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, who had railed against immigration and Islam, was convicted of attacking the family in the Ontario town of London in June 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was hunting for Muslims to kill,\u201d prosecutor Fraser Ball said in closing arguments, adding that Veltman had donned body armour and a shirt bearing a crusader emblem.<\/p>\n Salman Afzaal, 46; his wife, Madiha Salman, 44; their daughter Yumnah, 15; and Afzaal\u2019s mother, Talat, 74, were killed. The couple\u2019s nine-year-old son suffered serious injuries but survived. The family, originally from Pakistan, had been out for a walk near their home.<\/p>\n Prosecutors called the attack an act of \u201cterrorism\u201d, and Veltman, convicted on four counts of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder, faces life imprisonment with no chance for parole for 25 years.<\/p>\n During the 10-week trial, the jury heard that Veltman had authored a far-right screed in which he described his hatred of Islam and opposition to mass immigration and multiculturalism.<\/p>\n After driving directly into the family, Veltman gave himself up to the police and said he had wanted to \u201csend a strong message\u201d against Muslim immigration.<\/p>\n In the manifesto, Veltman wrote, \u201cI am a white nationalist,\u201d and said white people were \u201cfacing genocide\u201d. Prosecutors said he also repeatedly watched the video of a mass shooting by a white supremacist in New Zealand that killed 51 people.<\/p>\n For members of Canada\u2019s vibrant Muslim community, Ball said, that the message was terrifyingly clear: \u201cLeave this country or you and your loved ones could be next.\u201d<\/p>\n The attack, which left three generations of the family dead and pieces of the victims\u2019 clothing stuck to the front of Veltman\u2019s truck, was the deadliest against Canada\u2019s Muslim community since 2017 when a man, who had consumed far-right anti-Muslim material, gunned down six people in a Quebec City mosque.<\/p>\n The defence argued that Veltman suffered from numerous mental health issues and had asked that his charges be downgraded to manslaughter.<\/p>\n A sentencing hearing was scheduled for December 1.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile this represents an important step towards closure for the Muslim community, and our city at large, it is by no means the end of that journey,\u201d London Mayor Josh Morgan said in a social media post on Thursday.<\/p>\n The National Council of Canadian Muslims posted on X that it was \u201crelieved that justice has been served\u201d, adding, \u201cWe have to reflect deeply on the violent Islamophobia that has gripped our country.\u201d<\/p>\n We are relieved to see that the man who killed four members of #OurLondonFamily<\/a> has been convicted on all counts. <\/p>\n We are relieved that justice has been served. <\/p>\n This is a time for reflection and solidarity. With the family. With the community in London, Ontario. <\/p>\n We have to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/a8woB2EDK1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NCCM (@nccm) November 16, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n