Four members of a Muslim family of five were killed by a vehicle in a “premeditated” attack in London, in the Canadian province of Ontario. According to local police chief Steve Williams, the assault was triggered by religious hatred.
Among the victims: two women, a man and a teenager; while a nine-year-old boy is not in danger of life but is still hospitalized. All five people are members of the same family.
A 20-year-old, Nathaniel Veltman, was arrested seven kilometers away from the pedestrian crossing where the attack took place. The young man was indicted for murder and attempted murder. He was in the pickup truck who hit the family, added detective Paul Waight, speaking of the attack “motivated by hate”. “The victims are believed to have been targeted because they are Muslim,” Waight continued. It is possible that there are also other charges against the young man arrested, such as that of terrorism.
“These innocent human beings were killed simply because they were Muslims.” This was stated by Nawaz Tahir, a representative of the Islamic community in London. “We will remain strong against hatred – he added – strong against Islamophobia, against terrorism, with faith, love and the search for justice”.