Four members of a Muslim family were killed on Sunday, June 6 and a nine-year-old boy left fighting for his life after a 20-year-old man plowed his pickup truck into them due to their Muslim faith.
The family who had immigrated from Pakistan 14 years ago, were attacked in London, Ontario, Candad – a city of 500,000 with a Muslim population of around 30,000.
The driver, Nathaniel Veltman, chose his victims at random and targeted them because of their faith, police said – ramming his black pickup into the family as they went on an evening stroll.
The driver, Nathaniel Veltman, chose his victims at random and targeted them because of their faith, police said – ramming his black pickup into the family as they went on an evening stroll.
He was arrested immediately after and now faces four counts of first-degree murder.
A councilor in Brampton, Ontario, Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, tweeted: ‘My prayers are with the City of London, Ontario following the heinous hate crime that took place against an innocent Muslim family. I stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters across Canada who are mourning this loss. #Islamophobia & hate have no place here.’
Nihad Awad, National Executive Director of Council American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), tweeted: ‘A boy’s whole family were killed because they were Muslim.’
