Accused Neo-Nazi Mass Murderer Testifies About Strict Religious Mother and 'Extreme Websites'

Nathaniel Veltman, the man accused of running down a Muslim family in a premeditated white nationalist attack, took the stand for the first time Thursday, speaking at length about his strict religious upbringing and Internet addictions.

The trial is centered around the murder of a Muslim family who were waiting to cross the street in London, Ontario, on June 6, 2021. On that day, a truck accelerated and swerved into the family killing five out of the six people standing there. Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal, and Salman Afzaal's 74-year-old mother, Talat Afzaal, were all killed in the attack—only the family’s nine-year-old son survived.

Veltman was arrested next to his blood-soaked truck in a nearby parking lot just minutes later after asking a bystander to call the police. He was arrested and charged with five counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and terrorism.

For several hours, Veltman was examined by defense counsel Christopher Hicks. The admitted white supremacist testified that before the attacks he had a “process of decline” where he was consuming a lot of conspiracy videos about “coronavirus and the new world order” and was heavily depressed. He said he tried to use a Christian app that monitors pornography to stop him from accessing “the extreme websites.”

“At some point, I couldn’t stop,” he said.

The majority of the day’s examination actually focused on Veltman’s relationship with his mother who they portrayed as being deeply religious. He said that he was homeschooled until Grade 11 and that she spanked him. He said she would not allow him to seek treatment for his mental illness, would monitor his online behavior, and showed him pictures of people in hell which would cause him to “obsess about not thinking about violent and evil things.”

Eventually, Veltman said he emancipated himself from his mother and went to high school starting in Grade 11. The defense also argued that Veltman had purchased his truck for the sake of transportation rather than to do the attack and that he had a machete in his vehicle when he was arrested for the attack because he liked to “show it off to friends.”

The defense is also expected to call upon an expert to testify about how “hallucinogenic substances” may have played a role in the killings—Veltman had told police he used mushrooms the night before the attack. At no point during his testimony did he express any regret or offer any sort of apology to the family.

The Crown wrapped their case up last week after presenting a mountain of evidence that argued Veltman carried out the crime for ideological reasons. That evidence included the fact he overtly stated he was a white supremacist in an interview with an investigator and left behind a manifesto.

Earlier in the trial the jury played a video taken shortly after Veltman’s arrest showing him admitting to the murders, stating what he did was terrorism and he was happy he carried out the crime. He said he was radicalized by other neo-Nazis and ran down the Muslim family in hopes of inspiring other mass killings. The Crown read portions of a rambling manifesto written by Veltman shortly before the killings, which the defense did not dispute.

The trial continues Friday when Veltman is once again expected to take the stand.