Thursday, 19th September 2024

Canada: Truck drivers deliberately runs into a islamic family, kills 4

Police in the Canadian province of Ontario says a driver intentionally crashed a family under his vehicle because they were Muslim.

Tuesday, 8th June 2021

Canada: Truck drivers deliberately runs into a islamic family, kills 4
Police in the Canadian province of Ontario says a driver intentionally crashed a family under his vehicle because they were Muslim. He killed four people, and a nine-year-old boy was seriously injured in an "act of unspeakable hatred" and Islamophobia.

The deceased were all from the same family, were hit Sunday night while waiting to cross a road in the city of London, around 200km southwest of Toronto, Canadian news reports reported.

Police stated the deceased include two women aged 77 and 44, a 46-year-old male and a 15-year-old girl. A nine-year-old boy was seriously injured and seriously injured in hospital.

"It was an act of mass murder that continued on Muslims," ​​said London Mayor Ed Holder. "It was rooted in unspeakable hatred."

The attack was the most dangerous against Canadian Muslims since a man shot dead six members of a mosque in Quebec City in 2017. According to Holder, it was the worst massacre the city has ever seen.

Sunday's attack comes amid growing concern about Islamophobic attacks in provinces across Canada and widespread calls for authorities to tackle racism, hate-motivated violence and the appearance of far-right groups.

A 20-year-old defendant known as Nathaniel Veltman has been captured, police said in a statement. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Veltman was arrested without incident in a parking lot in a mall while wearing body armour, police said. There is no indication that he had associated.

"There is evidence that it was a planned, premeditated council motivated by hatred," Detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London Police Department told reporters. "We think the victims were targeted because of their Islamic religion."

Passerby Paige Martin told reporters a black vehicle blew past her and went up with a red light, and then she came on the scene and saw 'chaos'. First responders ran to help, a police officer pressed one person to the chest, and three other people lay on the ground.

A few dozen people were standing on the sidewalk, and several drivers got out of their cars to help. "I can't get the sound of the screams out of my head," Martin said.