Accused in London, Ont., attack was arrested without struggle, video at trial shows

The trial of a man accused of murdering four members of a Muslim family has seen video of him being arrested without a struggle shortly after the 2021 attack in London, Ont.

Nathaniel Veltman, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of deliberately hitting five members of the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk  — prosecutors have alleged his actions amount to an act of terrorism.

The jury at the trial was shown video today of Veltman speeding his truck, seen with a heavily damaged front end, into an almost empty mall parking lot a few minutes after the attack on June 6, 2021, and stopping next to a parked cab.

The Crown has told the jury that Veltman asked the cab driver to call 911.

The video – extracted and edited from security camera footage from the mall – shows three police vehicles arriving at the parking lot about two minutes later, followed by more police vehicles minutes after that.

Veltman is seen leaving his truck and taking a few steps before kneeling down and putting his hands on his head as officers approach.

Federal prosecutors are arguing that Veltman was motivated by white nationalist beliefs.

RELATED: Crown alleges man accused in deaths of Muslim family members was inspired by white nationalism

He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack.

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 London attack. The couple’s nine-year-old son was also seriously hurt but survived.

An agreed statement of facts presented to the jury has said Veltman was driving his truck north on Hyde Park Road in London when he saw the Afzaal family and made a U-turn to drive south towards them.

Veltman accelerated as he approached the family and data from his truck shows he steered to the right, aiming to hit the family just five seconds before striking them, the statement said.

“From five seconds before the impact through until the point of impact, the brake pedal was never depressed,” it said. “Veltman struck the victims with his truck and at least one family member was thrown high in the air.”

Federal prosecutor Sarah Shaikh told jurors in her opening statement Monday that Veltman allegedly planned his attack for three months.

She said Veltman told detectives after he was arrested that his intentions were political, he’d left his home on the day of the attack looking for Muslims to kill and that he’d used a truck to send a message to others that vehicles can be used to attack Muslims.

Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance has said the trial, which is taking place in Windsor, Ont., is expected to last about eight weeks.

Pomerance ruled last year that a change of venue was warranted in the case, moving the trial from London to Windsor. The reasons for that decision, as well as the evidence and arguments presented in court on the matter, cannot be disclosed due to a publication ban.

The attack on the Afzaal family sent waves of shock, grief and fear across Canada and spurred ongoing calls for measures to combat Islamophobia in the country.