OTTAWA: A Canadian man who used his truck to run down a Muslim family out for a walk was found guilty Thursday in Canada’s first murder trial in which jurors were asked to consider a terrorism motive related to white supremacy.
Nathaniel Veltman, 22, was convicted of four counts of first degree or premeditated murder, and one count of attempted murder. He faces up to life in prison when sentenced.
He acknowledged striking the Afzaal family with his pick-up truck in June 2021 in London, Ontario, which left three generations of the family dead and a young boy orphaned.
The prosecution argued at trial that he was motivated by white supremacist ideology and sought to intimidate or terrorize Muslims.
The defense said he’d suffered a mental decline — which did not, however, meet the requirements for an insanity plea — and was in “a state of extreme confusion” after consuming hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms that weekend.
“Today’s verdict is a monumental step in the fight against hate and Islamophobia,” Imam Abdul Fattah Twakkal said outside the courthouse.
“It sets a precedent against white nationalist terrorism,” he said. “It sends a clear message that such hate has no place in our society.”
But he added, “the evidence that came out of this trial shows us that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the next radicalized young man is not out there.”
Tabinda Bukhari, the mother of one of the adult victims, told reporters: “The enduring grief, trauma and the irreplaceable void left by the loss of multiple generations of one family has pierced us profoundly.”
The verdict, she added, provides “some solace.”
The jury in the almost 10-week trial heard Veltman had penned a “terrorist manifesto,” found on his computer, in which he espoused white nationalism and described his hate for Muslims.
He “dressed like a soldier,” wearing body armor and a helmet, with a “crusader T-shirt” with a red cross, prosecutor Fraser Ball said in closing arguments earlier this week.
“He was hunting for Muslims to kill,” he said.
When Veltman passed the Afzaal family on a London street on that warm Sunday evening, the Crown attorney said, he turned his pick-up truck around and accelerated “pedal to the metal,” jumping the curb as he drove into them.
Bodies flew into the air.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumnah and her grandmother Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed. A nine-year-old boy orphaned in the ramming suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Bits of the victims’ clothing were found embedded in the grill of Veltman’s truck after he surrendered in a nearby parking lot. He told police he’d wanted to “send a strong message” against Muslim immigration.
Ball said that message was “brutal and terrifying: leave this country or you and your loved ones could be next.”
The defense argued that a combination of mental disorders, childhood traumas and drug use left Veltman feeling detached or disconnected from reality.
The attack two years ago “changed Canadian Muslims’ relationship with their country,” said Omar Khamissa, head of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “For the first time for many of us, we felt unsafe and targeted just for walking down the street.”
Former federal minister Omar Alghabra said on X, formerly Twitter, that this case was “an example of how hateful words could lead to radicalization which could lead to deadly violence.”
Defense lawyer Christopher Hicks said that Veltman was, after the verdict, “in shock, because he knows he’s looking at 25 years in jail without hope of parole.”
A date for a sentencing hearing will be scheduled on December 1.
The slaying was the deadliest anti-Muslim attack in Canada since a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017 that left six dead. The perpetrator of that shooting was not accused of terrorism.
Canadian man who ran over Muslim family convicted of murder
https://arab.news/y22hr
Canadian man who ran over Muslim family convicted of murder
South Korea investigators seek to arrest former President Yoon
- Yoon was formally stripped of office in April, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his Dec. 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament
SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors asked a court Tuesday for a new arrest warrant to detain ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, after he refused a summons by investigators probing his failed martial law bid.
Yoon was formally stripped of office in April, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his Dec. 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament.
He is already standing trial on insurrection charges, personally attending court to defend himself against the allegations.
However, he has refused several summons issued by a special counsel formed to investigate the martial law declaration that parliament voted to launch earlier in the month.
“Today, the special counsel requested an arrest warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including obstruction of official duties,” the special counsel said in a statement.
“The arrest warrant was requested in order to conduct the suspect’s interrogation,” it said, adding that “he has clearly indicated his intention not to respond to future summons.”
Prosecutor Park Ji-young, a member of the special counsel, said in a news conference that Yoon was just “one of several suspects” that they had summoned to be questioned.
France’s Macron calls talks on New Caledonia future
- New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders would be invited to the discussions to start on July 2
PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday invited New Caledonia leaders to talks next week on the future of the French overseas territory, a year after deadly separatist violence in the Pacific archipelago.
New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders would be invited to the discussions to start on July 2, a source familiar with the matter said. It was not immediately clear where the meeting would be held.
The French president in an invitation letter obtained by AFP said discussions would last “as long as necessary” to address key issues “with all the seriousness they deserve.”
“Beyond major institutional topics, I would like for our discussions to touch on economic and societal matters,” Macron added.
Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometers (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.
New Caledonia has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France’s power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.
Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks fear would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.
The riots — the most violent since the 1980s — led to the death of 14 people and billions of dollars in damage.
The president’s decision to host talks alongside the Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls also comes after a French court freed independence leader Christian Tein in June.
Tein, who hails from the Kanak group, had been held in custody in eastern France since June 2024 over the rioting in the nickel-rich archipelago.
Investigating magistrates concluded there was no proof that Tein was preparing an armed uprising against the government, according to a source close to the case.
The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021, and was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population.
The referendum was the last of three since 2018, all of which rejected New Caledonian independence.
Since the 2021 referendum — which pro-independence campaigners had requested be rescheduled — the political situation in the archipelago has been in deadlock.
Valls led negotiations in May between pro-independence and anti-independence groups, but they did not “reach an agreement about the institutional future of the territory,” Macron said in the invitation letter.
The president in early June declared he wanted a “new project” for New Caledonia.
Major UK supermarket chain to stop sourcing Israeli products
- Co-op board committed to ‘upholding human rights and the rule of law to promote fair trading and peace’
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign: ‘This is a seismic victory for the solidarity movement in this country’
LONDON: One of Britain’s largest supermarket chains will stop sourcing Israeli products following a sustained Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.
The Co-operative supermarket said the decision was made due to Israeli human rights abuses and violations of international law. It comes into effect this month.
In May, a motion at the Co-op annual general meeting calling for an end to trade with Israel received overwhelming support. The supermarket board’s decision covers 17 “countries of concern,” including Israel.
Co-op will now launch a phased approach to begin removing products sourced from the 17 countries.
The BDS campaign, led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, saw the Co-op board commit to a “sourcing policy aligned with established co-operative values, upholding human rights and the rule of law to promote fair trading and peace.”
The supermarket will now avoid sourcing products from countries where “there is consistent behavior which would constitute community-wide human rights abuses or violations of international law.”
Through the new policy, Co-op believes it “can make a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate suffering.”
Israel is a major exporter of fruit and vegetables to the UK, and its products are widely stocked at British supermarkets, including as ingredients in larger items.
A number of Israeli farms operate facilities in the occupied West Bank, in settlements that are illegal under international law.
PSC hailed Co-op’s decision as a “major victory.” It follows the “Don’t Buy Apartheid” campaign that the organization conducted this year, urging a widespread boycott of Israeli products in British shops, restaurants and venues.
Ben Jamal, PSC director, said: “This is a seismic victory for the Palestinian solidarity movement in this country, which demands that the government, institutions and corporations end all economic, political and military support for the state of Israel, which is conducting a live streamed genocide in Gaza after decades of military occupation and imposing a system of apartheid on Palestinians.
“The Co-op, as befits its history, has shown great moral courage and ethical principle in deciding that it cannot ignore voices from the British public calling out Israel’s gross human rights abuses and violations of international law — and even more importantly, it cannot economically support that regime through doing business in Israel.
“This beacon of leadership must now be taken up by all other supermarket chains which continue to sell Israeli goods, despite knowing they are supporting its war crimes.”
UK government says Chinese spying on the rise
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer commissioned an “audit” of Britain’s relations with Beijing
- The report, published on Tuesday, recommended high-level engagement with China but also building “resilience” against threats
LONDON: Chinese spying and attempts by Beijing to undermine Britain’s democracy and economy have risen in recent years, the UK government said Tuesday in a report on the Asian giant.
Foreign minister David Lammy told parliament the Labour administration would invest £600 million ($818 million) in its intelligence services as a result of the findings.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer commissioned an “audit” of Britain’s relations with Beijing after he swept to power in landslide general election win last July.
The report, published on Tuesday, recommended high-level engagement with China for a “trade and investment relationship” but also building “resilience” against threats posed by Beijing.
“We understand that China is a sophisticated and persistent threat,” but “not engaging with China is therefore no choice at all,” Lammy told MPs.
“Like our closest allies, we will co-operate where we can and we will challenge where we must,” he said, vowing that meant “never compromising on our national security.”
Starmer has vowed to pursue a “consistent” relationship after the previous Conservative government first trumpeted a “golden era” of close diplomatic ties before relations became increasingly strained.
The British PM hopes Chinese investment can help him achieve his main mission of firing up Britain’s economy.
But differences over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs and Hong Kong — including the imprisonment of media mogul Jimmy Lai — pose hurdles to repairing relations.
In a joint letter coordinated by Reporters Without Borders, 33 organizations around the globe wrote to Starmer on Tuesday asking him to meet Lai’s son Sebastian.
“As a British citizen facing an unthinkable ordeal, Sebastien Lai deserves to hear first-hand from the Prime Minister what the UK is doing to secure his father’s release,” said the letter, which was signed by groups including Amnesty International UK and Human Rights Foundation.
Espionage allegations have also blighted the relationship in recent years, including claims that a Chinese businessman used his links with Britain’s Prince Andrew to spy for the Communist Party.The report noted that “instances of China’s espionage, interference in our democracy and the undermining of our economic security have increased in recent years.”
“Our national security response will therefore continue to be threat-driven, bolstering our defenses and responding with strong counter-measures,” the government said.
Starmer’s administration is due to rule on whether to approve Beijing’s controversial plans to open the biggest embassy in Britain at a new London location.
Residents, rights groups and China hawks oppose the development, fearing it could be used for the surveillance and harassment of dissidents.
Russian attacks kill 18 civilians in Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more Western help
- Zelensky is keen to lock in additional military support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s bigger army
- A Russian ballistic missile attack on Dnipro hit multiple civilian sites, killing nine people and injuring more than 100
KYIV: Russian drones, missiles and artillery killed at least 18 civilians and injured more than 100 others in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought guarantees of further Western military aid for his country’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion.
Russian forces have relentlessly blasted civilian areas of Ukraine throughout the war, which is now in its fourth year. More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations. Ukraine has also launched long-range drones against Russia, hitting residential areas.
Zelensky was set to meet Tuesday with Western leaders attending a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. He is keen to lock in additional military support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s bigger army, as recent direct peace talks have delivered no progress on a possible settlement.
Key US military commitments to Ukraine left over from the Biden administration are expected to run out within months, according to analysts, and there is uncertainty over whether US President Donald Trump is willing to provide more.
A Russian ballistic missile attack on Dnipro hit multiple civilian sites in the central Ukrainian city around midday on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring more than 100, local officials said.
In the nearby town of Samar, an attack killed two people and injured 11, Dnipro’s regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on Telegram.
The barrage damaged 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, a vocational school, a music school and a social welfare office, as well as eight medical facilities, according to Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov. One of the blasts blew out the windows of a passenger train.
Russia also shelled residential neighborhoods and critical infrastructure across Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing four civilians and wounding at least eleven others, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration.
In the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, a drone attack late Monday killed three civilians, including a 5-year-old boy, and injured six others, local authorities said.
Among the injured were two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy, according to officials.
Russian air defense forces overnight shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday morning. It said 14 were downed over the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, while two had been flying over the Moscow province.
One drone slammed into a tower block on the outskirts of the Russian capital, sparking a fire on its 17th floor, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said Tuesday. He said a 34-year-old resident suffered shrapnel wounds to his arm and leg. Two other drones were shot down on the approach to Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Air traffic was briefly halted as a precaution at two major Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, a representative of Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.
