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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Islamophobic attack leaves 4 of a Pakistani origin family dead in Canada’s London

OTTAWA: In another hate-fueled Islamophobic attack, a truck driver ran over Pakistani Canadian family members in Ontario province of the North American country.

Reports in Canadian media citing local law enforcers said that a 20-year-old truck driver, who is identified as Nathaniel Veltman, purportedly rammed the vehicle on five members of the family, who immigrated from Pakistan about 14 years ago, and then drove off in a bid to escape on Sunday evening.

The attacker was later arrested from a place near the accident site, Detective Superintendent Paul Waight said Monday. There is evidence that the attack was a planned, a premeditated act, motivated by hate. It is believed that these victims were targeted because of their faith’, he added while speaking in a news conference.

Report of AP quoted city’s police chief who said that ‘We understand that this event may cause fear and anxiety in the community, particularly in the Muslim community, in any community targeted by hate.’

He further added that ‘there is no tolerance in this community who are motivated by hate target others with violence. Law enforcement agencies are consulting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and prosecutors about potentially filing terrorism charges against the attacker who does not have a criminal record and is not known to be a member of any hate group.

Following the brutal hit from a pickup truck, the 74-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene while the other four family members including a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, and a teenage girl, while a nine-year-old boy suffered serious injuries who is shifted to a nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, the attacker has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He is due back in court on Thursday.

Following the gruesome incident which is reportedly the worst of Canada’s London, politicians, world leaders reacted to the news with extreme sadness.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to his official Twitter where he revealed that he was horrified by the attack. ‘To the loved ones of those who were terrorized by yesterday’s act of hatred, we are here for you. We are also here for the child who remains in hospital — our hearts go out to you, and you will be in our thoughts as you recover, he wrote in the Tweet.

Adding that ‘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.’

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who occasionally opposed Islamophobic incidents, expressed grief at the loss of lives. The premier termed the incident terrorism. ‘This condemnable act of terrorism reveals the growing Islamophobia in Western countries. Islamophobia needs to be countered holistically by the international community’, he urged in the recent tweet.

Pakistan’s top diplomat Shah Mahmood Qureshi also denounced the attack. ‘Three generations of Pakistani-Canadians were killed in a brutal act of mass murder for their Muslim faith. This is an act of terror rooted in unspeakable hatred & Islamophobia. Extend our deepest sympathy to the family members & pray for the recovery of the only survivor; a little boy’, he captioned the post.

Head of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, Mustafa Farooq, said ‘this is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil, and should be treated as such’.

Meanwhile, a funding campaign aimed to support the members of the victims’ family had already generated almost $100,000 in the first few hours.

 

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