The criminal court proceedings against the man accused of intentionally running down and killing four members of a Muslim family in northwest London took another step forward on Wednesday.
Nathaniel Veltman, 21, made a roughly five minute appearance in London court by way of video from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre. The court was told that the Crown was granted a preferred indictment by the Ontario attorney general, which by-passes a preliminary hearing and moves the case out of provincial court.
“[Veltman] made his first appearance in assignment court by telephone [on Tuesday] and has been remained to the April 12 assignment court in the Superior Court for the purpose of conducting a judicial pre-trial with the regional senior justice, Justice [Bruce] Thomas on March 8,” Federal Crown prosecutor Lisa Mathews told the court. “Since the Superior Court now has jurisdiction over Mr. Veltman’s charges I am prepared at this time to withdraw the information that is before the [provincial] court now.”
No representatives for Veltman’s defence lawyer Christopher Hicks attended Wednesday’s proceedings, which were considered a “formality”.
An order that prohibits Veltman from communicating with certain individuals connected to the case, as well as a publication ban on the evidence presented, have been transferred to the indictment and remain in place.
Veltman is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the June 6, 2021 hit-and-run at Hyde Park and South Carriage roads, which prosecutors alleged constitutes an act of terrorism.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal and 9-year-old son Fayez Salman, and Salman Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal were out for an evening walk on that date when a pickup truck mounted the curb and hit them before speeding off. Fayez Salman was the lone survivor of the attack.
Veltman was arrested shortly after the family was struck, roughly seven kilometers from the collision scene. London police have said there is evidence the attack was a planned, premeditated act motivated by hate. He has been held at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre since his arrest.
The attack visibly shook Londoners, especially those from within the Muslim community, and led to an outpouring of support provincial and nationally. City politicians voted unanimously on Tuesday to endorse a wide-ranging strategy to combat Islamophobia. Among the recommendations put forward in the plan is the creation of a permanent memorial at the site of the attack to honour the memory of the Afzaal family.
