ISLAMABAD: A Canadian man, who killed four members of a Pakistan-origin family by deliberately running them over with his truck more than two years ago, is scheduled to be sentenced by a court in January, according to media reports.
The incident occurred on June 6, 2021, in Ontario. Five members of the Afzaal family were out for an evening walk when they were struck by a truck, driven by 22-year-old white nationalist Nathaniel Veltman.
The attack claimed the lives of Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumnah, and Afzaal's 74-year-old mother Talat.
The family’s nine-year-old child survived with serious injuries.
“Prosecutors and defence lawyers are scheduled to make their submissions on sentencing in the case of Nathaniel Veltman on Jan. 4 and 5,” reported CP24, a Canadian news channel.
“Veltman was found guilty last month of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk,” it added.
This incident sent shockwaves through Canada, a country with a huge immigrant population that prides itself on its multicultural character.
According to Reuters, prosecutors argued the attack was an act of terrorism, noting Veltman had written a manifesto entitled "A White Awakening" in which he outlined hatred of Islam and opposition to mass immigration and multiculturalism.
Veltman, who had confessed to his crime, was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder last month.
“Today’s verdict is a monumental step in the fight against hate and Islamophobia,” Reuters quoted Abdul Fattah Twakkal, a prayer leader at a mosque in the area where the incident happened, after the verdict. “It sets a precedent against white nationalist terrorism.”
Canadian man faces sentencing in January for killing four members of Pakistan-origin family
https://arab.news/bznws
Canadian man faces sentencing in January for killing four members of Pakistan-origin family
- The incident occurred in 2021 when a white nationalist ran over the family with his truck in Ontario
- Nathaniel Veltman was found guilty targeting the family during a hearing that took place last month
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
