Grief and sorrow grip relatives of slain Canadian Muslim family

From left to right: Yumna Afzaal, Madiha Salman, Salman's mother Talat Afzaal, and Salman Afzaal were "the best" of their community, friends said

Tabinda Bukhari is forever haunted by the image of her daughter, grandchild, son-in-law and his mother waiting at a crossroad.

"As I wait at any intersection to cross the road, all four of them join me."

Nathaniel Veltman, the man convicted of murdering four of her family members in June 2021, sat expressionless as he listened to her emotional testimony in court on Thursday.

She is among nearly 70 people to give victim impact statements in the case.

That unprecedented number of victim statements in a Canadian court proceeding has helped to illustrate the deep sorrow and fear felt after the murder of the Afzaal family.

Prosecutors argued that the Pakistani-Canadian family were deliberately targeted by Veltman, who was convicted in November, while out on an evening walk because of their identity and Muslim faith.

• Canadian guilty of Muslim family's truck murders

Salman Afzaal, 46, and his wife Madiha Salman, 44, were killed by Veltman in London, Ontario, when he struck them with his truck Their daughter Yumna Afzaal, 15, and Mr Afzaal's 74-year-old mother, Talat Afzaal, also died in the attack.

The couple's son, then-nine years old, was seriously hurt but survived.

The killings were met with widespread mourning in the Ontario city, with officials and the grieving public often referring to the Afzaals as "Our London Family". They also sparked renewed calls to combat Islamophobia in Canada.

On Thursday, a packed courtroom began hearing from the family's relatives, who took turns delivering statements about how the murders affected them.

Some lived alongside the Afzaals in Ontario. Others appeared by Zoom from Pakistan or travelled from places as far as Omaha, Nebraska, to address the court.

The court is also expected to hear from additional friends and other members of London's Muslim community. Statements were scheduled to occur across two days.

Thus far, the remarks have highlighted the irreparable grief and harm experienced by the relatives and friends of the Afzaals - especially the family's orphaned son.

"All innocence was robbed from him that day," said Sayeda Sidra Jamal, a relative of Madiha Salman's.

Ms Bukhari, along with other relatives, described the feeling when they first discovered that their family members had been killed, and that their deaths were investigated as hate crimes.

"They are not merely statistics. They were living, breathing human beings," she said.

Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal said the murder of the Afzaals has left Canadian Muslims with a sense of fear

Others, like Talat Afzaal's daughter Ayesha Shaukat, held back tears as they addressed Veltman directly.

"I cannot fathom the pain she endured when you harmed her," Ms Shaukat said, referring to her mother who was killed.

"Standing here," she added, "I tell you that you took something incredibly precious from us."

The Afzaal family moved to London, Ontario from Islamabad, Pakistan in 2007. Many relatives said the family had offered them support when they followed them to Canada.

Salman Afzaal was remembered as a hard-working physiotherapist, devoted husband, and a devout Muslim. His wife, Madiha Salman, was described as a keen student who never appeared disconcerted when she was the only woman in her PhD engineering classes.

Their daughter, Yumna, was an artist who community members said had a bright smile and creative spirit. Her grandmother, Talat Afzaal, was remembered as the steady and loving family matriarch.

Many commented on their new-found fears of being targeted for being visibly Muslim in Canada, a country that they once viewed as a safe haven.

Ms Shaukat said her children can no longer go to sleep alone or go to school unaccompanied, while Ms Jamal, who wears a hijab, said she now feels in danger as a visibly-Muslim woman.

"Will someone else target us? Dehumanize us? Hurt us? Kill us?" Ms Jamal said.

These fears are not only felt by immediate relatives of Afzaals, but also the wider Muslim community in London and Canada in the aftermath of the attack.

"There is that sentiment of fear, and lack of safety and security," London-based Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal told the BBC.

Mr Twakkal added that he believes the majority of Canadians strongly denounce Veltman's crime, but the deaths have left those who are visibly Muslim "questioning whether or not it's safe to walk on the streets of Canada".

While Veltman has been found guilty of murder, Judge Renee Pomerance must still decide whether his crime can also be characterised as an act of terrorism.

His murder convictions carry a lifetime in prison, though his sentence could change if the terrorism element is added.

A formal sentencing hearing has been scheduled for 23 January.