The tight-knit community of Yumna Afzaal, Madiha Salman, Salman’s mother Talat Afzaal, and Salman Afzaal was deeply cherished by their friends.
A recent ruling by a Canadian judge has classified the perpetrator who tragically took the lives of four members of a Muslim family and caused severe harm to their young son as a white nationalist terrorist.
Nathaniel Veltman, aged 22, has been handed down a sentence of five life terms – four for the murders and one for the attempted murder.
Following a guilty verdict by a jury in November, it was revealed that Veltman intentionally rammed his truck into the family as they strolled in London, Ontario, located approximately 120 miles (200km) southwest of Toronto.
The devastating incident resulted in the deaths of Salman Afzaal, 46, Madiha Salman, 44, Yumna Afzaal, 15, and Talat Afzaal, 74, while also leaving the couple’s nine-year-old son with serious injuries.
During the trial, evidence suggested that Veltman arbitrarily targeted the family upon noticing the women clad in traditional Pakistani attire.
The judge emphasized that Veltman’s heinous act was driven by a desire for attention, hoping that the repercussions of his actions would not instill lasting fear and intimidation.
Furthermore, the judge highlighted Veltman’s deliberate selection of “innocent victims he had never met” and his use of the OK symbol – a gesture associated with white supremacists.
Veltman’s parole eligibility has been set at 25 years.
This case marked the first instance in Canada where a jury deliberated on charges related to white supremacist terrorism.
During the sentencing hearing in January, nearly 70 victim impact statements were presented in court, underscoring the profound and irreparable loss felt by the Afzaal family’s relatives and friends, particularly the orphaned son.
The son, in a poignant statement, expressed his deep sorrow over the inability to create new memories with his family and the challenges he faces in his physical recovery.
Having migrated to Canada from Islamabad in 2007, the Afzaal family’s tragic fate sparked apprehension within the Muslim community in London and across Canada.
In a remorseful statement in January, Veltman acknowledged the anguish caused by his actions, reflecting on the profound pain and suffering he had inflicted.
Despite attributing his actions to a strict Christian upbringing, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a disconnection from reality induced by substance use, these explanations were deemed insufficient by Judge Pomerance during the sentencing.
The judge’s decision underscored the gravity of Veltman’s crimes and the lasting impact on the victims’ loved ones.