Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario, on Sunday an act of terrorism.
Members of a Muslim family were hit by a pickup truck Sunday night while on a walk. The victims included two parents, two children, and a grandmother. Four of the family members died, while a 9-year-old boy was hospitalized.
“This was no accident,” Trudeau said Tuesday while speaking in the House of Commons. “This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities.”
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Their deaths prove the threat of bigotry in Canada, Trudeau added.
“If anyone thinks racism and hatred don’t exist in this country, I want to say this: How do we explain such violence to a child in a hospital? How can we look families in the eye and say, ‘Islamophobia isn’t real?'” Trudeau asked.
The assault on the family was a “premeditated act, motivated by hate,” police said.
The victims’ extended family identified those who died from the attack as 46-year-old Salman Afzal and his wife, 44-year-old Madiha; their 15-year-old daughter Yumna; and a 74-year-old grandmother who was not named. The surviving victim of the attack is the couple’s 9-year-old son, Fayez, who was hospitalized, according to a report.
The victims immigrated to Canada 14 years ago, family friends said.
A suspect, 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Veltman did not know the victims, and it’s unclear if he belonged to any hate groups, police said. Local authorities are coordinating with federal law enforcement to investigate any possible terrorist ties.
London Mayor Ed Holder ordered flags to be lowered for three days in the wake of the attack.
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“I speak on behalf of all Londoners when I say our hearts are broken,” Holder said in a statement. “We grieve for the family, three generations of whom are now deceased.”
