Nathaniel Veltman, who is accused of decimating a Muslim family in London, Ontario on June 6, 2021, said in his trial on Monday that he considered committing the same crime in Toronto.
Veltman was called for a third and final day of testimony before the Supreme Court, recounting the 36 hours leading up to the moment he violently struck the Afzaal family while behind the wheel of his van, local media reported after the trial.
The defendant stated that he had consumed a large amount of magic mushrooms and spent the hours before the ram truck attack in a state resembling a “waking dream.”
Travel to Toronto
Under the influence of drugs, Nathaniel Veltman immersed himself in a mountain of right-wing extremist online content. In particular, he listened to the video over and over again and read over and over the manifesto of the New Zealand Christchurch murderer who killed 51 Muslims in two mosques in March 2019.
On the evening of June 5, Veltman decided to drive his van to Toronto, 200 km from his home, wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest. Once in the Queen City, he wandered around at random until he came across what looked like a group of Muslims.
“I felt the need to step on the accelerator. […] They seemed about my age. I fought and fought and fought against my urges [d’appuyer sur l’accélérateur]» According to the Global News report, the defendant made a confession in court.
The next day, on his way home from work, Veltman again felt the urge to run over a group of people who looked like Muslims because of their clothing. He then called himself a coward because he didn’t dare do anything, he claimed.
The man finally came out of his house in the evening to get some food after consuming online hate again. Then he met the Afzaal family on the way.
The Crown wants to convict Nathaniel Veltman for the premeditated murder of Talat Azfall, 74. Salmon Afzaal, 46; Madiha Salman, 44, and Yumnah Afzaal, 15, as well as the attempted murder of a 9-year-old child who survived the Ram truck attack. The prosecution also wants to prove that Veltman’s actions constituted white nationalist terrorism, a first in the country in a murder trial.
Nathaniel Veltman has pleaded not guilty.