Prosecutors said in opening arguments Monday that a man accused of running down and killing a Muslim family of four committed terrorism motivated by White nationalism.
The Guardian reports Nathaniel Veltman faces four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after allegedly ramming his truck into the Afzaal family in London, Ontario in 2021.
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Prosecutors said Veltman told investigators he went out that day looking for Muslims to kill and identified himself as a White nationalist.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The family has been identified as Salman Afzaal, 46; his wife Madiha Salman, 44 their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Salman and her grandma, Talat Afzaal,74.
The Star listed four main takeaways from the opening arguments.
Prosecutors said Veltman confessed to the crime and made several incriminating comments.
They say he wrote a manifesto titled A White Awakening that complains of White genocide.
They say the defense doesn’t dispute the fact that the defendant drove the truck into the Afzaal family.
The prosecutor also alleges Veltman floored the accelerator and did not brake before striking the victims.
“Mr. Veltman got into his truck and went to search for Muslims to kill,” said prosecutor Sarah Shaikh, according to CTV News. “He made a U-turn and drove directly at them…in his own words he was going, ‘Pedal to the metal.'”
The first witness described the Afzaals as a “peace-loving” family.
The trial resumes Tuesday, September 12.
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