In a surprising turn of events in the Canadian justice system, Nathaniel Veltman, a man who was convicted of murder and attempted murder by deliberately driving his truck into five members of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, on June 6, 2021, has his case equated to terrorism under Canadian law, a judge ruled Thursday.
The jury in Windsor, Ont., found 23-year-old Veltman guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in November.
Th convicted killer’s sentencing in London, Ont., began ahead of Thursday’s hearing. Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, said the facts of the case clearly point to terrorism, according to CBC.
“I have chosen not to name the offender nor share the hateful things he shared with police or in his manifesto. This is because his actions constitute terrorist activity,” Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance told the courtroom.
“In fact, one could say this was a textbook case of terrorist activity.”
How did Nathaniel Veltman kill Afzaal family?
In June of 2021, after his Sunday shift, Veltman got into his Ram pickup, which he had recently modified with a bull bar on the front bumper, and drove to London, Ontario, 35 kilometres away from his place. Around 8:30 p.m., he drove down Hyde Park Road, and arrived at the intersection with South Carriage Road where he accelerated and jumped the curb.
According to international media outlets, local police allege that he then intentionally struck down five members of the Afzaal family, who were out for an after-dinner stroll from their home.
Veltman’s actions took the lives of 15-year-old Yumnah Afzaal, her parents — Madiha Salman, 44, an engineer by profession, and Salman Afzaal, 46, a physiotherapist — as well as family matriarch 74-year-old Talat Afzaal who was teacher and artist.
Veltman’s murder convictions carry an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. The judge also sentenced him to a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder of the orphaned boy — defence lawyers had asked for 10 years.
However, it was Pomerance’s decision to determine whether his actions amounted to terrorism.
Serving as a breath of relief and justice, the extended Afzaal family relatives suggest that the court ruling is a relief for the impacted parties.
“Today’s sentencing has brought relief to people near and far. .We would like to thank the justice system, the Crown attorneys, the team of investigators, London police department support services, RCMP and media outlets for their efforts to bring justice to our loved ones,” they said according to CBC.
“We would like to thank our family and friends along with the community of London, Windsor and the public at large for all their support during this difficult time,” they furthered.
“There is no place in Canadian society for the hatred and racism that spawned the offender’s actions. Because they have no place in Canadian society, they will not be given a place in my reasons,” Pomerance said according to CBC.
“On June 6, 2021, five members of the Afzaal family went for a walk on a warm summer evening. Neither they nor anyone else could have anticipated the terrible fate that awaited them,” she added.
“He stopped to put on combat gear, a military helmet and a bulletproof vest. He drove until he spied the Afzaal family. He believed them to be Muslim based on the clothing they wore. He drove by the family of five, stopped and then turned around, drove towards them, drove into the victims at full speed without touching the brakes,” Pomerance furthered.
“This event sent ripples of fear and devastation throughout the London community and beyond. He killed them because they were Muslim,” she noted.
“There is no doubt that the Afzaal family were killed in a deliberate act of anti-Muslim hate, and it’s clear from having listened to the testimony and from seeing and understanding the evidence — this was an act that terrorized London and communities across the country,” Elghawaby said.
Veltman’s defence lawyers, however, argued that his actions weren’t driven by any particular ideology.
“He did hold extreme right-wing beliefs. These were evident when considering his testimony. But the question is whether he adhered to an ideology and if he committed the crime to intimidate a segment of the population. We say that the Crown did not prove that he did,” Christopher Hicks argued, according to CBC.
“It would also be the first time in Canadian history that someone who holds white supremacist views would meet the threshold for terrorism,” Elghawaby said, as reported by CBC.
