Nathaniel Veltman is escorted leaving trial outside Ontario Superior Court in Windsor, Ont., on Sept. 5.Dax Melmer/The Canadian Press
The man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in an alleged act of terrorism in London, Ont., is telling a jury that he drove to Toronto a day before the attack to explore the possibility of targeting Muslims in that city.
On the stand in the Windsor, Ont., courtroom where his trial is taking place, Nathaniel Veltman says he was feeling an urge to commit an act of violence in the days leading up to the June, 2021, attack and he took a road trip from his apartment in London to Toronto to explore the possibility of attacking Muslims in that city.
The 22-year-old says he put on a bulletproof vest and military-style helmet when he was driving to Toronto, and he saw a group of Muslims who seemed around his age walking around in the city and felt an urge to step on the gas pedal to run them over.
Mr. Veltman says he then panicked and left the area as fast as he could, heading back to his apartment in London.
Mr. Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk in London, and 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.
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.
Jurors have previously seen video of Mr. Veltman telling a detective that his attack had been motivated by white nationalist beliefs.
The Crown has argued that Mr. Veltman planned an attack for three months before driving his Dodge Ram truck directly at the Afzaal family.
Mr. Veltman’s case is the first where Canada’s terrorism laws are being put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.