pedestrians at an intersection in London, Ontario, Canada. Four people were killed, and another was wounded; all were from the same family. Police say the attack was motivated by
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia' ...
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pakis ...
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
Doug Ford
Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He r ...
attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
.
Attack
At about 8:40 pm on June 6, 2021, a man mounted a curb and drove his pickup truck into five members of a family. According to police, this attack was intentional, and motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. The attack took place at the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road in London's Hyde Park neighbourhood, where the family had been waiting to cross. A witness described being stopped at a red light when the truck sped past her, shaking her car from the force. One woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the others were rushed to a hospital, three of them later succumbed to their wounds.
Shortly before 9:00 pm, a black pickup truck approached a cab parked at Cherryhill Village Mall, about away from the attack. The driver of the truck, 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, approached the cab driver, said that he had just killed someone and asked the cabbie to call the police. Speaking on behalf of the traumatized driver, Yellow Taxi London president Hassan Savehilaghi described Veltman as wearing a military-style helmet and a bullet-proof vest which may have been tagged with swastikas, and the truck was covered with blood. Savehilaghi's description was corroborated by a mall maintenance worker who also witnessed the arrest. The driver called
9-1-1
, usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...
and waved down a passing police cruiser. Veltman allegedly laughed as he was arrested, and asked the driver to film it.
Victims
The five victims were all from the same family and Muslims; most arrived in Canada from Pakistan in 2007. The dead were a 46-year-old husband, his 44-year-old wife, their 15-year-old daughter and his 74-year-old mother. The only survivor, the family's nine-year-old boy was seriously injured. On June 14, a family friend said he was out of the hospital.
Accused
By June 7, Nathaniel Veltman was charged with four counts of
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially t ...
and one count of
attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
. The
London Police Service
The London Police Service (LPS), or simply ''London Police'', is the municipal law enforcement agency in London, Ontario, Canada.
The LPS does not enforce federal statutes including the '' Criminal Code'', provincial offences such as the ''High ...
believe he planned the attack in advance. He was wearing a body-armour-style vest at the time of his arrest, and might have participated in an
airsoft
Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.
Although similar ...
shooting game that evening before the collision. He had no previous connection to the victims or known ties to hate groups.
Veltman worked at an egg-packing facility in Strathroy and lived in an apartment on Covent Market Place in downtown London. One friend and co-worker who was raised as a Muslim described him as a proud Christian, and noted he seemed to treat Muslims normally for the four years he worked there. Co-workers said the alleged murders and motivation seemed out-of-character and unexpected, one denying Veltman is a radical terrorist or Islamophobe.
During Veltman's parents' divorce in 2016, he was described as "peculiar and challenging", and both agreed he should continue therapy and be supervised around his younger siblings.
Legal proceedings
Shortly after the attack,
Crown attorney
Crown attorneys or crown counsel (or, in Alberta and New Brunswick, crown prosecutors) are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.
Crown attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code and variou ...
s charged Veltman with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of
attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
. He made a court appearance on June 10, without a lawyer, so was given time to find one. On June 14, the charges were all upgraded to include terrorism, and the court adjourned until June 21. Many details of the case are under a publication ban.
Naheed Nenshi
Naheed Kurban Nenshi (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian politician who was the 36th mayor of Calgary, Alberta. He was elected in the 2010 municipal election with 39% of the vote, and is the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city. ...
, the
National Council of Canadian Muslims
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is a Canadian Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. NCCM was formerly known as the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN).
NCCM is active in human rights and civil li ...
and
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pakis ...
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
all of whom called it an act of terrorism motivated by hatred. All parties in the Canadian parliament agreed to call "an emergency national action summit to tackle
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia' ...
."
A vigil was held on June 8, at the London Muslim Mosque. Premier of Ontario
Doug Ford
Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He r ...
temporarily lifted provincial COVID-19 restrictions in London for it to proceed. Trudeau, Ford and London mayor
Ed Holder
Edwin Anthony Holder (born July 14, 1954) is a Canadians, Canadian retired politician who served as the 64th Mayor of London, Ontario, mayor of London from 2018 to 2022.city of London and other organizations organized an event in honour of those killed as well as to generate awareness about
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia' ...
. Over 1000 people attended the event, including Prime Minister Trudeau.
See also
*
Islamophobia in Canada
Islamophobia in Canada refers to a set of discourses, behaviours and structures which express feelings of anxiety, fear, hostility and rejection towards Islam or Muslims in Canada. Members of the Sikh, Christian Arab, Jewish and Hindu communitie ...
*
Toronto van attack
A domestic terrorist vehicle-ramming attack occurred on April 23, 2018, when a rented van was driven along Yonge Street through the North York City Centre business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The driver, Alek Minassian, targeted ped ...
(2018)
*
Quebec City mosque shooting
The Quebec City mosque shooting (french: Attentat de la grande mosquée de Québec) was an attack by a single gunman on the evening of January 29, 2017, at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood ...