Killer of London, Ont., Muslim family appeals convictions, challenging use of manifesto at trial

A London, Ont., man convicted of killing four members of a Muslim family and severely injuring a fifth member in a hate-motivated attack four years ago is appealing on three grounds, including that the judge should not have allowed the jury to consider his white nationalist manifesto.

Nathaniel Veltman was found guilty in November 2023 of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Three months later, then Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance ruled his actions amounted to a “textbook case” of terrorism as defined under Canadian law. He was sentenced in January 2024.

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the tragic killing of Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents — Madiha Salman, 44, an engineer, and Salman Afzaal, 46, a physiotherapist — and family matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, a teacher and artist. The youngest family member, a boy, survived the attack.

Veltman drove his pickup truck into the family as they were taking an evening stroll on June 6, 2021.

“I appreciate that the community was horrified by this offence and the remaining members of the family were devastated by this offence. I respect that, and I feel very badly for both the family and for the community,” Veltman’s appeal lawyer, Stephen Whitzman, told CBC News.

The appeal is being sought on three grounds, based on court records obtained by CBC News:

1. The judge erred in admitting the ideological evidence, including Veltman’s white supremacist manifesto, titled “A White Awakening,” which set out his political and racist views.
2. The judge erred in admitting Veltman’s statements to a police officer which were obtained via a “Charter breach,” meaning he was not properly warned of his rights.
3. The judge erred in refusing the defence application for a mistrial because of what Veltman’s lawyer at the time called “inflammatory language” during the Crown’s closing statement, including references to the crime scene and the grievous injuries suffered by the victims.

Veltman’s trial lasted 12 weeks, during which the jury heard evidence that he was motivated by right-wing extremist and Islamophobic views. He described himself as a white nationalist and testified in his own defense, claiming he took magic mushrooms a day before the killing to escape the “hell” of his mind.

The killing of the Afzaal family galvanized the community of London and Canadian society to create laws and groups that would combat Islamophobia. As the community gathered today to reflect on the family, known as Our London Family, and to recognize the impact of the tragedy, the fight against hate and discrimination continues.