A jury in Windsor, ON, determined London, ON, resident Nathaniel Veltman is guilty of running over a Muslim family in what the Crown attorney had argued was an act of terrorism. Global News reported Thursday after less than six hours of deliberations, jurors returned to a packed courtroom to say Veltman was guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Family and friends of the victims were in tears, hugging each other before the verdict was read. As it was read out, gasps, quiet sobbing and sniffling could be heard in the courtroom, with some jurors wiping away tears. The Crown attorney and defence agreed Veltman drove his truck into the Afzaal family in 2021, killing four family members and orphaning a fifth. However, the defence tried to argue there was a lack of evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the Crown’s argument he intended for them to die, had been planning to kill and the deaths occurred during the commission of a terrorist act. The jury’s decision does not reveal which path the jurors took to reach their conclusions. All it reflected is a finding of guilt on the charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. In her instructions on Wednesday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance explained there were two paths to a finding of guilt on the first-degree murder charges. The first path is jurors found beyond a reasonable doubt he had committed an unlawful act, it resulted in deaths, he intended to kill or to cause bodily harm, he knew it could result in death and it was planned and deliberate.The second path was by way of terrorism. Pomerance said the Crown does not have to prove why people did what they did, but terrorist activity does require proof of motive.To find Veltman guilty of first-degree murder because of terrorist activities, there is no requirement for the Crown to prove the murders were planned and deliberate. All it would require is determining he committed an act that caused death, it was committed in whole or in part for religious or ideological purposes, and it was committed in whole or in part with the intention of intimidating the public or a segment of it. London resident Salman Afzaal, 46; his wife Madiha Salman, 44; their daughter Yumna, 15; and his mother Talat were killed in the attack, and their nine-year-old son was hurt but survived.The Crown said Veltman spent three months planning his attack, he used a truck to send a message to potential sympathizers they did not require guns to commit a terrorist act and his goal was to tell Muslims they are not welcome in Canada. The defence argued Veltman was a troubled man consumed by obsessive thoughts and his recent ingestion of psilocybin combined with his mental health issues left him unable to resist the urge to step on the gas.The case marked the first time Canadian terrorism laws were being put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.The lawyers and Pomerance will reconvene December 1 and 2 to determine a sentencing date.Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney announced in 2021 a new program that would allow provincial groups who may be the target of racial attacks to upgrade their security systems.READ MORE: Kenney announces grants for racialized groups to protect facilitiesStarting that fall, religious and ethnic organizations and indigenous groups at risk of being targeted by hate-inspired violence or vandalism could apply for grants for security and technology improvements.Before announcing the program, Kenney spoke of Canada’s shame following the terror attack in London that saw the Afzaals targeted by Veltman while they were out for an evening stroll.
