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TORONTO, Canada (AP) A pickup truck attack that killed four members of an immigrant family rocked Canada, a country where immigrants are widely accepted, and sparked denunciations Tuesday from the Canadian prime minister, who called that of a hate crime directed against Muslims.
Both parents, two children and a grandmother of the victims were out for an evening walk when the truck driver struck them at an intersection in London, Ont. The only survivor was a 9-year-old boy, who was hospitalized.
It was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament. If anyone thinks that there is no such thing as racism and hatred in this country, I mean this: how do you explain such violence to a child in a hospital? How can we look families in the eye and say that Islamophobia is not real?
The extended family of the victims released a statement identifying the deceased as Salman Afzal, 46; his wife Madiha, 44; their 15-year-old daughter Yumna; and a 74-year-old grandmother whose name has not been released. The hospitalized boy has been identified as the couple’s son, Fayez. Friends said the family immigrated to Canada 14 years ago.
Four members of a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada were killed Sunday night when a terrorist named Nathaniel Veltman crashed into his car. Only a 9 year old child survived.
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It is a horrible and Islamophobic crime ???? RIP to their innocent souls. pic.twitter.com/zCIXybLMVs
– Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 8, 2021
Many Canadians took advantage of nighttime walks to get some fresh air after long days at home during the pandemic, Trudeau said.
But unlike every other night, this family never made it home, Trudeau said. Their lives were taken in a brutal, cowardly and brazen act of violence. This murder was not an accident… Canadians are outraged by what happened on Sunday. And many Muslim Canadians are afraid.
Trudeau said words were important and partly blamed rhetoric, misinformation and extremism online and in politics.
They can be a seed that becomes an ugly and ubiquitous trend. And sometimes they lead to real violence, the prime minister said.
A police car drives past where a family of five was struck by a driver in London, Ontario on June 7, 2021 (Brett Gundlock / The Canadian Press via AP)
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Twitter that the attack revealed the rise of Islamophobia in Western countries.
A 20-year-old suspect, Nathaniel Veltman, has been arrested in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. He was facing four counts of first degree murder. Police were inside the suspect’s London apartment on Tuesday.
Police said Veltman did not know the victims. Detective Superintendent Paul Waight said it was not clear if he belonged to a specific hate group, but that local police were working with federal authorities to investigate possible terrorism charges. He said the attack was planned.
Veltman worked part time on an egg farm near Strathroy, Ontario. Gray Ridge Eggs Inc. CEO William Gray has not given any details about Veltman’s work. He said the company was shocked and saddened by the attack, and he expressed sympathy for the relatives of the victims and the Muslim community.
Arman Moradpourian, a friend who worked with Veltman, called Veltman a very godly Christian and said he was homeschooled. Moradpourian said Veltman didn’t have a problem with being Persian and growing up as a Muslim.
He never judged me, Moradpourian told The Associated Press. He would give his shirt off his back for you.
Moradpourian said Veltman had helped him get to grocery stores and helped him deal with family issues. He said Veltman deleted his social media years ago and remade them a few months ago. He said he used the same name but was deactivated after his arrest. He said Veltman loved video games and fishing.
#BREAKING CTV News can confirm this photo is Nathaniel Veltman, who is charged with four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack that struck a Muslim family of five, killing four d ‘between them. (Photo from 2016) pic.twitter.com/AxBPsERmhu
– Rahim Ladhani (@RLadhaniCTV) June 8, 2021
Everyone who knew the Afzal family knew the model family they were as Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis, according to the extended family statement. They worked extremely hard in their fields and excelled. Their children were the best students in their school and were strongly linked to their spiritual identity.
A fundraising webpage reported that the father was a physiotherapist and cricketer enthusiast and his wife was working on a doctorate in civil engineering at Western University in London. Their daughter was finishing ninth grade and the grandmother was a pillar of the family, the page said.
Thousands of mourners, including Trudeau and leaders of all political parties across Canada, attended a vigil Tuesday night at the mosque the family attended. Pandemic restrictions have been relaxed to allow mourners to attend the vigil outdoors.
There are no words that can assuage the grief of having three generations murdered in their neighborhood, Trudeau told the crowd. There are no words that can erase the pain and yes the anger of this community. There are no words that can fix the future of this little boy whose future has been taken away. But know this: you are not alone. All Canadians mourn with you and are by your side.
Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal of the Muslim Mosque in London said he hoped the vigil would be a pivotal moment for his community and country in the fight against the scourge of racism and discrimination.
Each of us must do our part, he said.
People attend a vigil outside the London Muslim Mosque for the victims of the deadly vehicle attack on five members of the Canadian Muslim community in London, Ontario, June 8, 2021 (Nathan Denette / La Presse Canadian via AP)
Rauf Ahmad and three friends watched the growing tribute at the intersection earlier in the day.
I didn’t think there was racism in Canada, and I felt very safe when I arrived here two years ago, but I don’t feel safe now, Ahmad said. Humanity is first. We shouldn’t worry about whether someone is a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian.
Close to the scene of the accident, Zahid Khan, a friend of the family, said through tears: They had just gone out for their walk which they would go out for every day. I just wanted to see.
Mayor Ed Holder said the flags would be lowered for three days in London, which he said has 30,000 to 40,000 Muslims among its more than 400,000 residents.
Canada is generally welcoming to immigrants and all religions, but in 2017, a French Canadian known for his far-right nationalist views engaged in a shootout at a Quebec City mosque that killed six people.
Canada is not immune to the kind of intolerance and division we’ve seen elsewhere in the world, Trudeau said.
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