[ad_1]
The police accused Nathaniel Veltman of killing a Muslim family in London, Ontario “because of their Islamic faith.”
This month, a man was accused of bringing down a Muslim family in London, Ontario, Canada. Kill four people The authorities announced on Monday that, including a young girl, is now facing allegations of terrorism.
The London Police said in a statement statement The four first-degree murders of Nathaniel Veltman “constitute terrorist crimes,” and federal and provincial prosecutors have agreed to initiate a terrorism lawsuit.
Veltman is accused of deliberately assaulting five members of the Afzaal family with a pickup truck while out for a walk on the night of June 6.
46-year-old Salman Afzaal, 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, and the couple’s 9-year-old son was seriously injured.
Witman He also faces a count of attempted murder, which the authorities said on Monday also constituted “terrorist activity.”
The 20-year-old gave a briefing in court via video on Monday, but has not yet filed a defense.
Policemen Talked about Wiltmann attacked the family “because of their Islamic faith”.
The attack shocked Muslim communities across Canada who have been calling for action to address Islamophobia and prejudice over the years, especially after the deadly mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City in January 2017.
Family friend Sabre Khan told the Associated Press that it was “the right thing to do” to escalate the charges against Wiltman.
“Families and communities have been intimidated, and many of us dare not leave our homes,” Khan said.
The national advocacy organization National Council of Muslims in Canada (NCCM) said Monday that the terrorism allegations are “an important development” but will make more comments later.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland (Chrystia Freeland) also reacted to the new allegations. She said: “It is really important for us to name it as a terrorist act… and we have to determine that white supremacy is very important to Canada. Posed a terrible threat, and Canadians.”
A kind Funeral of the Afzal family Over the weekend, the Islamic Center in Southwestern Ontario attracted hundreds of mourners.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada, Raza Bashir Tarar, said in a service on Saturday that the entire country of Pakistan-the country of origin of the family-“In this sad moment, in this His heart bleeds because of the atrocities that happened in this wonderful and wonderful family.”
Thousands of supporters also Depart from this location The family was killed in a mosque 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) away.
Despite this, many members of the Canadian Muslim community are still scared. Selma Tobah, a 31-year-old graduate student living in London, Tell Al Jazeera Last week, many community members felt that “it could be any of us”.
Calls for concrete action to eradicate Islamophobia are also growing.
The NCCM last week called on the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to host a national summit on Islamophobia to “show the way forward for Canada to end violence against Muslims.”
The country’s diversity and inclusion and youth minister Bardish Chagger responded to the call on Friday, stating that the government will “host a series of summits, including a national summit for Islamophobia, to coordinate further Actions”.
Wiltmann’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 21.
[ad_2]
Source link