![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/canada-truck-attack-trial-begins-for-man-accused-of-killing-muslim-family/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/118925210_991200b2-e39b-4fc4-b3a7-323949220a01.jpg&description=Image source, Courtesy Saboor Khan Image caption, From left to right: Yumna Afzaal, Madiha Salman, Salman's mother Talat Afzaal, and Salman Afzaal were "the best" of their community, friends said A man accused of murdering a Muslim family in a hate-fuelled attack has gone on trial in Windsor, Ontario. Nathaniel Veltman, 22, faces four counts of terrorism-motivated first degree murder, and one attempted murder charge. He is accused of deliberately running over the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out on an evening walk in London, Ontario in 2021. Mr Veltman has pleaded not guilty. His fate will be decided by a 14-member jury, which began to hear opening arguments in court on Monday. The case marks the first time a jury in Canada will hear arguments on terrorism related to white supremacy. Salman Afzaal, 46, and his wife Madiha Salman, 44, were killed in the attack - along with their daughter Yumna Afzaal, 15, and Mr Afzaal's mother Talat Afzaal, 74. The couple's nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived. Prosecutors have argued that Mr Veltman, who was 20 at the time of his arrest, was motivated by hate and white nationalist ideologies when he allegedly jumped the curb with his truck and struck the Afzaal family, who were Pakistani Muslims. The trial will be watched closely by law experts in Canada to see if the country's terrorism charges, enacted in the wake of the 11 September attacks in New York City, could be applied to someone who allegedly targeted a family because they are Muslim. "If the Crown succeeds here, we would have a much more expansive and inclusive definition of terrorism that could in principle be applied to many other offences," Andrew Botterell, a law professor at the University of Western Ontario, told the BBC. But Prof Botterell added that even if the terrorism charge is not successfully argued, the jury could still find the accused guilty of first degree murder. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Scenes from a vigil){kind=link}
A man accused of murdering a Muslim family in a hate-fuelled attack has gone on trial in Windsor, Ontario.
Nathaniel Veltman, 22, faces four counts of terrorism-motivated first degree murder, and one attempted murder charge.
He is accused of deliberately running over the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out on an evening walk in London, Ontario in 2021.
Mr Veltman has pleaded not guilty.
His fate will be decided by a 14-member jury, which began to hear opening arguments in court on Monday.