Four members of a Canadian Muslim family who were killed on Sunday when a pickup truck jumped over the curb and ran them over were deliberately attacked in an anti-Islamic hate crime, Canadian police said Monday.
“There is evidence that this was a planned, deliberate act motivated by hatred,” Detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London Ontario Police Department told reporters.
“It is believed that these victims were targeted because they were Muslims,” Waight said.
ARRESTED 20 YEARS OLD
Police arrested the alleged attacker, 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, on Sunday. His truck came off the lane, over the curb, hit the family and then drove away at high speed, police said, citing witnesses.
Veltman, who is described as a resident of London, has been charged with four first degree murder and one attempted murder. He will be on trial again on Thursday after being taken into custody on Monday.
Veltman has no previous convictions and is not known to be a member of any hate group, police said. He was arrested without incident in a shopping mall parking lot while wearing a body armor-type vest, police said. There is no evidence that he had accomplices.
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The attack against Canadian Muslims was the worst since a man shot and killed six members of a mosque in Quebec City in 2017. London Mayor Ed Holder said it was the worst mass murder his city has ever seen.
THE VICTIMS
The police said the family requested that the names of the victims not be disclosed, but provided their ages.
A 74-year-old woman died on the scene, while a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl died after being rushed to hospital, police said. A 9-year-old boy survived and is in hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
“We mourn the family, of which three generations have now died,” Holder told reporters. “This was a mass murder committed against Muslims, Londoners and rooted in unspeakable hatred.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that he was “appalled” by the crime, adding that “there is no place for Islamophobia in any of our communities. This hatred is insidious and despicable – and it must stop. “
I am appalled at the news from London, Ontario. To the loved ones who were terrorized by yesterday’s act of hate, we are here for you. We are also there for the child who remained in the hospital – our hearts are with you and your thoughts will be with your recovery.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 7, 2021
‘TERROR ATTACK’
Waight said police in London, about 200 km (120 miles) southwest of Toronto, had consulted with the Royal Mounted Canadian Police and prosecutors on possible charges of terrorism.
“This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil and should be treated as such,” said Mustafa Farooq, chairman of the National Council of Muslims in Canada.
“There are some very, very scared people out there,” said the London Mayor.
London, which has a population of around 400,000, has a large Muslim community and Holder said Arabic was the second most widely spoken language in the city after English.
Federal Minister for Family, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen said on Twitter: “Islamaphobia has consequences … hatred has no place in our country.”
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