Daily US Times: Canadian police confirmed that four members of a Muslim family were killed in a “premeditated” vehicle attack on Sunday.
The alleged attack took place in the city of London in Ontario province. A boy aged nine, the family’s only survivor, is in hospital with serious injuries.
A 20-year-old Canadian man has been charged with one count of attempted murder and four counts of murder.
The deadly attack was the worst against Canadian Muslims since 6 people were killed in a Quebec City mosque in 2017.
On Monday, Detective Superintendent Paul Waight told a news conference: “It is believed that these victims were targeted because they were Muslim.”
He said, police are weighing possible terrorism charges, adding that it is believed to be a hate crime.
Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, was among those who paid tribute to the victims of the Muslim family, tweeting: “Hate and Islamophobia have NO place in Ontario.”
The Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau tweeted that he was “horrified” by the news.
He wrote: “To the loved ones of those who were terrorised by yesterday’s act of hatred, we are here for you.”
London Mayor Ed Holder wrote: “This was an act of mass murder, perpetrated against Muslims, against Londoners, and rooted in unspeakable hatred.”
Mayor Holder said in a statement that he was speaking “on behalf of all Londoners when I say our hearts are broken”.
“We grieve for the family, three generations of whom are now deceased,” the statement added.
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