“Unspeakable hatred” in murder of four Canadian Muslims

Police in the Canadian province of Ontario say a driver intentionally struck a family because they were Muslim, killing four people and seriously injuring a nine-year-old boy in what has been denounced as an “act of unspeakable hatred” and Islamophobia.

The victims, all members of the same family, were hit on Sunday evening while waiting to cross a street in the city of London, 200km southwest of Toronto

“This was an act of mass murder perpetrated against Muslims,” London Mayor Ed Holder said. “It was rooted in unspeakable hatred.”

The attack was the worst against Canadian Muslims since a man gunned down six members of a Quebec City mosque in 2017.

Sunday’s attack came amid rising concerns about Islamophobic attacks in provinces across Canada and widespread calls for authorities to tackle racism, hate-motivated violence, and the prevalence of far-right groups.

A 20-year-old suspect identified as Nathaniel Veltman was arrested, police said in a statement. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Veltman was arrested in a mall parking lot without incident while wearing a body-armor-type vest, police said. There is no evidence he had any accomplices.

“There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate,” Detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London police department told reporters. “We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith.”

A fundraising webpage said the father was a physiotherapist and cricket enthusiast and his wife was working on a PhD in civil engineering at Western University in London. Their daughter was finishing ninth grade, and the grandmother was a “pillar” of the family.

London, which has about 400,000 residents, has a large Muslim community and Mayor Holder said Arabic is the second-most-spoken language after English in the city.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “horrified” by what he described as an “act of hatred”, and said his thoughts were with the victims’ loved ones, including the young boy who survived.

“To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across the country, know that we stand with you. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable – and it must stop,” Trudeau tweeted.