(Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press, Eli J. Ridder

UPDATED

Judge rules London, Ont., attack amounted to terrorism, calls Veltman ‘admitted white nationalist’

Feb 22, 2024 | 1:54 PM

A man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, as a judge on Thursday ruled that the actions of the “admitted white nationalist” amounted to terrorism.

Nathaniel Veltman has also been sentenced to a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder of a boy who survived the 2021 attack.

Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk.

Justice Renee Pomerance, who presided over the trial, delivered her sentencing decision to a packed London courtroom on Thursday morning.

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“The offender set out to disrupt the most basic of all human rights, the right to live life with a sense of peace and security,” she said.

“The brutality of the crime, its random character, the hatred that fueled that and the consequences … calls for the imposition of the strictest penalty known to Canadian law.”

Family members of the victims spoke publicly following Pomerance’s ruling, saying there is some justice in the ruling but that it won’t bring the family back.

More details to follow.