OTTAWA – Canada is pressing terrorism charges against a man accused of mowing down a Muslim family with a pickup truck, killing four, prosecutors said yesterday.
Five members of the Afzaal family were out for a walk in London, Ontario – around 200km southwest of Toronto – on June 6, when a truck driver struck them on purpose, according to authorities.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife, Madiha, 44, their daughter, Yumna, 15, and Salman’s mother, Talat, 74, were all killed. The couple’s 9-year-old son Fayez survived, but is seriously injured.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously said the killings are “a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred”.
Prosecutors revealed in a brief hearing yesterday that they are adding terrorism charges to the four counts of premeditated murder and one of attempted murder levelled last week against 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman.
“The federal and provincial attorneys-general provided their consent to commence terrorism proceedings, alleging that the murders and attempted murder also constitute terrorist activity,” said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a statement after the hearing.
Veltman, who has no criminal record or known link to any extremist group, told the court via video that he does not have a lawyer. He has yet to enter a plea and is set to reappear in court on June 21.
Several Canadian media outlets yesterday revealed that Fayez has been able to leave hospital, and is being taken care of by relatives.
He is “expected to recover, (but) it’s going to be some time”, said relative Saboor Khan.
“His family’s main priority is to support him through that recovery.”
Last week, during an impassioned speech at the House of Commons, Trudeau said: “This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities.”
“I think it is really important for us to name it as an act of terror,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference yesterday.
“It is important for us to identify this as an act of Islamophobia, and it is important for us to identify the terrible threat that white supremacism poses to Canada, and to Canadians.”
The attack has fuelled debate about the prevalence of Islamophobia in Canada, and heightened fears within the Muslim community that outward signs of religious affiliation can make a person a target.
It is the deadliest anti-Muslim attack in Canada since a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that had killed six people in 2017. – AFP, June 15, 2021
