Trial of man accused in London attack to hear more evidence

WINDSOR, Ont. — A police expert has told a jury that a USB drive linked to the man accused of killing a Muslin family in Ontario contained the manifesto of the New Zealand mosque gunman and a video of that mass shooting.

Windsor police Sgt. Liyu Guan, a digital forensic expert, says the video and the manifesto had been opened multiple times from February 2021, when the files first appeared on the USB, to June 6, 2021, the day of the attack in London, Ont.  

Nathaniel Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting five members of the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk in London in what prosecutors allege was an act of terrorism. 

Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

The jury has seen video of Veltman telling police he took inspiration from the man behind the 2019 New Zealand mass killing of 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques. 

Veltman’s case is the first where Canada’s terrorism laws are being put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2023. 

The Canadian Press