WINDSOR, Ont. — Arguments in the trial of a man facing terror-related murder charges in the deaths of four members of a Muslim family in Ontario are set to begin on Monday.
Jury selection, which began Tuesday, has concluded in Windsor, Ont., where the trial is taking place, after 14 jurors and two alternates where affirmed from the jury pool.
Nathaniel Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting members of the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk in London, Ont., on the evening of June 6, 2021, and is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges on Tuesday.
Veltman, who wore a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants in court, was sitting quietly between his defence lawyers Christopher Hicks and Peter Ketcheson during the jury selection process.
Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance ruled last year that a change of venue was warranted in the case, moving the trial from London to Windsor. The reasons for that decision, as well as the evidence and arguments presented in court on the matter, cannot be disclosed due to a publication ban.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack. The couple’s nine-year-old son was also seriously hurt but survived.
Pomerance said the Crown is alleging that Veltman, who was 20 at the time of his arrest, was motivated by extremist right-wing views associated with white supremacy when he intentionally drove his truck over a curb to strike the Muslim family.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The attack on the Afzaal family sent waves of shock, grief and fear across Canada and spurred ongoing calls for measures to combat Islamophobia in the country.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims released a list of recommendations to fight anti-Muslim hate across Canada, including calling on the federal and provincial governments to commit to anti-Islamophobia strategies in education and provide resources to fight anti-Muslim hate.
The federal government hosted a summit on Islamophobia in July 2021 to hear Muslim Canadians’ ideas and insights on how Ottawa could prevent attacks targeting their community.
In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed journalist and human rights advocate Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first special representative to combat Islamophobia, to serve as an adviser and expert as the federal government works to fight religious intolerance and systemic racism.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.
