Canadian man drives truck into Muslim family in ‘targeted’ attack, killing four
- The victims are a 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl; a nine-year-old boy remains in serious condition
- Suspect Nathaniel Veltman, 20, who faces four counts of first-degree murder, did not know the victims, police say
A driver ploughed a pickup truck into a family of five, killing four of them and seriously injuring the other in an attack that targeted the victims because they were Muslims, Canadian police said on Monday.
Authorities said a young man was arrested in the car park of a nearby mall after the incident Sunday night in the Ontario city of London. Police said a black pickup truck mounted a curb and struck the victims at an intersection.
“This was an act of mass murder perpetuated against Muslims,” London Mayor Ed Holder said. “It was rooted in unspeakable hatred. The magnitude of such hatred can make one question who we were as a city.”
Police said the dead were a 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl. A nine-year-old boy was reported in serious condition. The family requested the names not be released, officials said.
Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was in custody facing four counts of first-degree murder. Police said Veltman, a resident of London, did not know the victims.