‘They never harmed anyone’: Sentencing underway for man who murdered Muslim family

globalnews.ca:

Close family members of the Afzaals, the Muslim family murdered by Nathaniel Veltman in a vehicle attack, are sharing stories of loss, grief, and pain but also of faith and resilience at a sentencing hearing in London, Ont.

Two days have been set aside for victim impact statements alone due to the sheer number of those willing to share how the acts of June 6, 2021 have changed their lives.

Thursday’s proceedings involved relatives of the Afzaals, many of whom described symptoms of anxiety and depression in the wake of the attack as well as fearing for their safety and the safety of other visible minorities across Canada. At the same time, many mentioned that their faith in Islam has strengthened and that the guilty verdict has brought a sense of justice.

Four members of the Afzaal family were killed and a little boy orphaned when Veltman drove his truck “pedal to the metal” into the group out for an evening walk on June 6, 2021. Veltman told police hours later that he had decided he was “going to commit a terrorist attack” and “hoped to inspire more young men.”

Salman Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna, and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack, while the couple’s nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.

The Afzaals were remembered as kind, goodhearted and hard-working members of the community. Salman was a physiotherapist and his wife Madiha was in the process of getting her PhD in engineering. Yumna was a budding artist, practicing murals in the family’s garage. Talat was a loving, beautiful soul who never thought badly of anyone, family said.

Madiha’s mother, Tabinda Bukhari, was the first to speak. She told court that the attack