Nathaniel Veltman is escorted outside Ontario Superior Court in Windsor, Ont., Tuesday, Sept.5, 2023. A man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., is set to be sentenced today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dax Melmer
LONDON – A judge has ruled that the actions of a man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., amounted to terrorist activity.
Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.
The case was the first time Canada’s terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.
Justice Renee Pomerance, who is currently delivering Veltman’s sentencing decision, has ruled that Veltman’s attack amounted to terrorism.
Members of the Afzaal family, who are among those gathered in a packed London courtroom, were seen crying as Pomerance made her finding.
Veltman was convicted of killing 46-year-old Salman Afzaal; his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna; and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal. The couple’s nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2024.
