The judge in the case called Nathaniel Beltman's attack an “act of terrorism.”
A Canadian white supremacist who intentionally ran over a Muslim family of four has been sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Nathaniel Beltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack that shocked Canada.
Salman Afzaal, 46 years old. his wife Madiha Salman (44); their daughter Yumna (15 years old); Afzaal's mother Talat, 74, was also killed. The couple's 9-year-old son was seriously injured but survived.
The family was walking near their home in the town of London, Ont., at the time of the attack.
The judge in the case called Veltman's attack an act of terrorism, the first time the term has been used to describe white supremacist violence.
“I believe that the perpetrator's actions constituted an act of terrorism,” Ontario Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance said in Thursday's ruling.
The 2021 attack was the deadliest incident against Muslims in Canada since 2017, when a man shot and killed six members of a Quebec City mosque.
Prosecutors noted that Veltman wrote a manifesto outlining his hatred of Islam and opposition to mass immigration and multiculturalism.
Immediately after the assault, Veltman said: I killed those people. ”
Mr. Veltman has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. The defense argued that the act amounted to manslaughter, citing Veltman's mental difficulties.