A CANADIAN jury has heard closing arguments in the case of a man accused of murdering four members of a Muslim family with his vehicle.
Nathaniel Veltman, 22, faces four first-degree murder charges and one count of attempted murder.
Mr Veltman also faces terrorism counts, with prosecutors arguing that he targeted the Afzaal family because of their faith.
Both the defence and prosecutors agree that Mr Veltman was behind the wheel.
But Mr Veltman has pleaded not guilty, arguing that he was in a “dreamlike state” on 6 June, 2021, the day he allegedly ran over three generations of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario while they were out for an evening walk.
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.
The case marks the first time a jury in Canada is hearing legal arguments on terrorism related to white supremacy. The jury will not only have to decide on whether Mr Veltman is guilty of murder, but also whether his actions can be described as terrorism.
Closing arguments were made on Tuesday in a Windsor, Ontario court, after 10 weeks of proceedings.
Testifying in his own defence, Mr Veltman told the jury during the trial he ingested a large quantity of magic mushrooms about 40 hours before the crash.
He admitted that the thought of running over Muslims came to him twice after taking the drug, but he resisted. Then, while out for food, he said he saw the family and could not stop the “urge”.
Another witness, forensic psychiatrist Julian Gojer, told the jury that Mr Veltman has been diagnosed with several mental health issues, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, severe depression, anxiety and a personality disorder.
He testified that the magic mushrooms likely exacerbated his existing mental health conditions.
