(London) A relative of the family who was wiped out in a June 2021 vehicular attack in London, Ont., remembers picking up clothes from her great-niece’s bedroom floor the day after the murders and having “desperately sought comfort” in its scent, for one last time.
Hina Islam’s comments were part of the emotional “victim impact statements” delivered Thursday at Nathaniel Veltman’s sentencing hearing in London.
The self-described white supremacist was convicted in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for ramming his van into the Afzaal family, who were leisurely strolling the streets of London on a beautiful evening. from June, in 2021.
Madiha Salman, 44, her husband Salman Afzaal, 46, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna and 74-year-old grandmother Talat Afzaal were killed. The couple’s nine-year-old son was seriously injured, but survived the attack.
Veltman, 23, said he targeted the Azfaals because they were wearing traditional Muslim clothing. The attack devastated the Ontario city of London and sparked calls across the country to combat Islamophobia.
Hina Islam, Madiha Salman’s aunt, told her sentencing hearing Thursday that living in the same neighborhood as her relatives once gave her “a deep sense of grounding and security.”
But “June 6 took all that away from me,” she told the judge, holding back tears. “I can’t feel safe now. »
Mme Islam said that the day after the tragedy, she entered young Yumna’s room. “I picked up his clothes from the floor. I lay on his bed crying and instinctively buried my nose in his shirt, desperately seeking comfort one last time in his scent. »
Veltman’s trial took place in Windsor, Ontario, but sentencing hearings – including the presentation of “victim impact statements” – are now taking place in London, since the jury is not involved in these proceedings.
The presentation of “victim statements” will continue on Friday.
The mother of one of the victims
Earlier Thursday, Madiha Salman’s mother told the judge she feared for her life every time she walked down the street. Tabinda Bukhari said she was in Pakistan when the attack took place. She then frantically tried to figure out what had happened via phone and text messages.
Mme Bukhari said she was “stunned and shocked” that someone could have targeted her family members, the “most loving, friendly and gentle souls” there was. “It’s scandalous,” declared Thursday Mme Bukhari during the hearing. They never hurt anyone. Why would anyone want to do that to them? »
She told the judge that the memories of her murdered loved ones are everywhere and that the circumstances of their deaths still haunt her. “I miss them every second of the day. As I take a walk, I wonder if it won’t be the last. »
Mme Bukhari, who left Pakistan for Canada to be with her family after the attack, vowed to ensure their memories are preserved. “They won’t go anywhere: I won’t let them disappear. »
Speaking outside the courthouse ahead of Thursday’s hearing, London Imams Council President Abd Alfatah Twakkal called for concrete steps to ensure cities are safe havens for people from all backgrounds, “for the good of our common humanity”.
Terrorism law
The Veltman trial was the first first-degree murder trial in the country to put Canadian terrorism laws before a jury.
Judge Renee Pomerance, who presided over the trial, told jurors last fall that they could find Veltman guilty of first-degree murder if they unanimously agreed that prosecutors had established that the defendant had he intended to kill the victims and that he had premeditated and planned his attack.
But she also told jurors they could reach the same verdict of first-degree murder if they believed the killings constituted “terrorist activity.”
The “terrorism” component does not constitute a separate charge and juries in Canada are not allowed to explain how they reached their verdict. It is therefore unclear what role – if any – the terrorism allegations may have played in their decision to convict him of first-degree murder.
On the other hand, Judge Pomerance may raise this issue as part of the sentencing process to impose on Veltman.
White supremacy
Prosecutors argued at trial that the London attack was an act of terrorism carried out by a self-described “white supremacist.” The defense argued that Veltman did not have criminal intent to kill the victims and did not premeditate or plan the attack.
During the trial, Veltman mentioned he was influenced by the writings of a man who murdered 51 Muslim worshipers in 2019 at two New Zealand mosques.
He also said he planned to use his van, purchased a month earlier, to carry out an attack. He also said he looked up information online about what happens when pedestrians are hit by vehicles at different speeds.
He told the jury he felt an “urge” to grab the Afzaal family when he saw them walking on the sidewalk, knowing they were Muslims from their clothing – he also noticed that the man of the group had a beard.
Jurors also watched a video where Veltman admitted to an investigator that his attack was motivated by “white supremacy.” The court also heard that in a manifesto written in the weeks before the attack he described himself as a white supremacist and peddled unfounded conspiracy theories about Muslims.