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People attend a memorial Monday at the site where a driver rammed a family of five, in London, Ontario. Brett Gundlock / AP Hide Caption
Brett Gundlock/AP . Caption Switch
People attend a memorial Monday at the site where a driver rammed a family of five, in London, Ontario.
Brett Gundluck/AFP
TORONTO – Canadian police said Monday that a driver drove into a family of five with a pickup truck, killing four and seriously injuring the other in a deliberate attack targeting the victims because they were Muslims.
Authorities said a young man was arrested in the parking lot of a nearby mall after the incident, which occurred Sunday night in the city of Ontario in London. Police said a black pickup truck climbed onto the edge of a curb and crashed into the victims at an intersection.
“This was an act of mass murder perpetrated against Muslims,” Mayor Ed Holder said. It was rooted in unspeakable hatred.”
The extended family issued a statement identifying the dead man as Salman Afzal, 46. His wife is Madiha, 44 years old. their daughter Youmna, 15; A 74-year-old grandmother, whose name has been withheld. The boy who was taken to the hospital was identified as Fayez.
“Anyone who knows Salman and the rest of the Afzal family knows the typical family they were in as Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis,” the statement said. “They worked very hard in their fields and excelled. Their children were among the top students in their school and were strongly connected to their spiritual identity.”
An online fundraising page said the father was a naturopath and cricket lover and that his wife was working on a Ph.D. in civil engineering at Western University in London. The page said their daughter was finishing ninth grade and the grandmother was a “pillar” in the family.
The family said in its statement that the public should stand up against hatred and Islamophobia.
“This young man who committed this terrorist act was influenced by a group he is associated with, and the rest of society must take a strong stand against it, from the highest levels of our government to every member of society.” The statement said.
Nathaniel Feltman, 20, was in custody and faces four counts of first-degree murder. Police said London-based Feltman did not know the victims.
Detective Supt. Paul White said police had not determined whether the suspect was a member of any particular hate group. He said London police were working with the Federal Police and prosecutors to find out possible terrorism charges. He declined to reveal detailed evidence pointing to a possible hate crime, but said the attack was orchestrated.
About a dozen police officers combed the area around the crash site for clues on Monday. Blue marks on the ground are scattered at the intersection.
“We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith,” Police Chief Stephen Williams said. “…there is no tolerance in this society out of hate they target others with violence.”
Canada generally welcomes immigrants and all religions, but in 2017, a French-Canadian man known for his far-right and nationalist views launched a shooting at a Quebec City mosque that killed six people.
A woman who witnessed the aftermath of the fatal accident said she could not stop thinking about the victims. Big Martin said she was stopped at a red light around 8:30 p.m. when a large pickup truck passed in front of her. She said her car shook from the force.
Martin said: “I was shaken, I thought he was an eccentric driver.
Minutes later, she said, she encountered a terrible and chaotic scene at an intersection near her home, where first responders ran to help, and a police officer performed chest compressions on one person and three other people lying on the ground. A few dozen people stood on the sidewalk and several drivers got out of their cars to help.
“I can’t get the screaming sound out of my head,” Martin said.
From her apartment, Martin said she was able to see the scene and saw an official sheet covering one body around midnight. “My heart is so broken for them,” she said.
Zahid Khan, a family friend, said three generations of the dead were a grandmother, a father, a mother and a teenage daughter. He said the family immigrated from Pakistan 14 years ago and were loyal, respectful and generous members of the London Islamic Mosque.
“They were just out for a walk and they are going out every day,” Khan said, crying near the crash site. “I just wanted to see.”
Qazi Khalil said he saw the family on Thursday when they were out for a walk at night. He said the families live close to each other and will meet on holidays.
“It totally destroyed me from the inside,” Khalil said. “I really can’t get to the terms they are no longer here.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims says Muslims in Canada have become well aware of Islamophobia. “This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil and it must be dealt with as such,” said council president Mustafa Farouk.
Nawaz Tahir, London lawyer and Muslim community leader, said: “We must confront and eradicate Islamophobia and Islamic violence – not tomorrow, today, for the sake of our children, our families and our communities.”
The mayor said the flags will be lowered for three days in London, which he said has 30,000 to 40,000 Muslims among its more than 400,000 residents.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “To the Muslim community in London and Muslims across the country, know we stand with you. Islamophobia has no place in any of our societies. This hatred is malicious and despicable – and it must stop.”
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