Accused in London, Ont., attack says he felt ‘urge’ to hit Muslim family members

The man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in an alleged act of terrorism told a jury he felt an “urge” to hit them with his truck after seeing them walking on a sidewalk in London, Ont.

Under cross-examination, the Crown asked Nathaniel Veltman to confirm his actions that killed members of the Afzaal family. Veltman answered “yes” to all questions. The Crown is currently questioning Veltman about his manifesto.

Earlier on the stand in the Windsor, Ont., courtroom where his trial is taking place, Veltman, when questioned by the defence, said he knew they were Muslims from the clothes they were wearing and he noticed that the man in the group had a beard.

Veltman said he first drove past the family, then made a U-turn and drove directly at them, veering to the right with the intention of crashing into them with his pickup truck.

He testified that at the time of the attack he was in a dreamlike state, saying his mind was “a mess.”

Veltman told the court that after making the U-turn he stepped on the gas and drove directly at the family while staring at them.

A split second before it happened, he testified that he wanted to change his mind, but it was “too late.”

When asked by the defence if he intended to kill, his answer was that he just felt the urge to crash into “them.”

Veltman said he drove away as fast he could, so wouldn’t see the ramifications of his actions.

After his arrest, Veltman testified that he tried to come up with reasons to make his actions “morally justifiable.”

“It’s nonsense, there’s no way to justify it,” he testified.

In its final question, the defence asked if he was remorseful.

“Yes. I know it was horrible,” he replied.

The 22-year-old is accused of deliberately hitting the Afzaal family with his truck in June 2021 while they were out for a walk in London.

Prosecutors have alleged his actions amount to an act of terrorism.

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

Veltman told the jury on Monday he was feeling an urge to commit an act of violence in the days leading up to the June 2021 attack and took a road trip from his apartment in London to Toronto to explore the possibility of attacking Muslims in that city.

With files from OMNI reporter Ziad Araboughly