Pakistani-Canadian woman Senator Salma Ataullahjan has condemned killing of four members of a Muslim family in a “premeditated” vehicle attack on Sunday
In her twitter handle, she said: “We must combat #Islamophobia before it reaches the point of physical violence. It is Islamophobic rhetoric that sows the seeds for these acts of hate.”
Four members of a Muslim family were killed in a “premeditated” vehicle attack on Sunday, Canadian police say. The attack took place in the city of London, 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 four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The attack was the worst against Canadian Muslims since six people were killed in a Quebec City mosque in 2017.
“It is believed that these victims were targeted because they were Muslim,” Det Supt Paul Waight told a news conference on Monday. Police are weighing possible terrorism charges, he said, adding that it is believed to be a hate crime.