Veltman to appeal convictions in fatal attack on Muslim family in London, Ont.

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    Nathanial Veltman, convicted of the terrorist murder of the Afzaal family in London four years ago, is seeking to appeal solely his convictions. Ziad Arab-Oagley from OMNI News reports on the details behind the appeal from London.

    By Ziad Arab-Oagley and Meredith Bond

    On the fourth anniversary of the murder of a Muslim family in London, Ont., the man found guilty in the attack plans to appeal his convictions.

    According to a court document obtained by OMNI News, Nathanial Veltman is now appealing solely his convictions in the Afzaal family murder case.

    Veltman was found guilty in November 2023 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 in London on June 6, 2021.

    Forty-six-year-old Salman Afzaal, his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna, and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack. The couple’s nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.

    A judge ruled in February 2025 that the murder of four members of the Afzaal family by Veltman was an act of terrorism, and he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

    Veltman was also sentenced to a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder of a boy who survived the 2021 attack.

    The document says Veltman is challenging his convictions and seeking a new trial on the grounds that the trial judge erred in admitting the “ideological evidence,” and in admitting his statements to police, which it says were obtained in breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

    It also argues that the trial judge, Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance, erred in dismissing a defence application for mistrial.

    “The concern is that this is going to reopen a lot of wounds for the family and for our community,” said Sheikh Abd Alfatah Twakkal, Chair of the London Council of Imams. “I honestly don’t understand why he is appealing because it was something that was very clear. He clearly admitted what he did.”

    Veltman’s new lawyer, Stephen Whitzman, confirmed in a phone call that his client is abandoning his sentence appeal, adding that the decision whether the appeal moves forward won’t happen before next year, as reaching that point will require “a lot of labour” from his office.

    Whitzman says that he still hasn’t met Veltman yet and that they have only spoken over the phone. He confirmed to OMNI News that Veltman is in an institution outside the province of Ontario, but declined to mention where.

    When asked if his client is trying to exonerate himself, Whitzman said no.

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