Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Friends and neighbours are remembering the four Muslim family members killed in what police say was a targeted attack in London, Ont., and are demanding community leaders take greater steps to address Islamophobia in Canada.
Rania Lawendy, the national director of the Muslim Association of Canada, told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that emotions are running high in the London community following the attack.
"Obviously our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their family and our grieving community, but at the same time it’s been wonderful to see the outpouring of love and support," Lawendy said.
"It's kind of a juxtaposition between...feeling immense sadness and loss but also having a sense of hope with different messages from different people and the outpouring of love that we saw," she added.
A statement released to the media by a family spokesperson names the deceased as Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha Salman, their daughter Yumna, and Salman Afzaal's mother.
The couple's son, Fayez, 9, survived the attack. He "is on the road to recovery from serious injuries," the statement reads.
The family's statement calls for everyone, from politicians to the public, to "stand against hate and Islamophobia" in favour of humanity.
"We need to understand that the destruction of a family in the brutal and horrific manner like this is something we must all stand against," the statement reads.
Lawendy said her daughter and niece were close friends with 15-year-old Yumna, who was killed in the attack. She said it has been "very difficult" for the girls in the wake of her death.
Lawendy said she met with Yumna’s former Grade 8 class earlier this week to help them cope with their emotions following the attack.
"I was able to kind of talk to them and have them get out their feelings and their fears and their anxieties and they were all just trying to console each other, but as you can imagine it's been a horrific time for these young girls," Lawendy said.
She explained that the youth she spoke with are scared and struggling to understand why the attack happened. Lawendy said many of the kids asked her if an attack like this was going to happen to them.
"Losing your friend is difficult enough especially at such a young age," she said. "And then... have it be a hate crime, that is very, very difficult for all of them, and all of us as a community."
Nathaniel Veltman, a 20-year-old London man, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with Sunday's attack. London police said Tuesday that they have been in contact with the RCMP and would not comment on whether further charges may be laid.
Police allege that Veltman was driving a pickup truck that mounted a curb and hit the family, who were out for a walk. Police said Monday that they were not aware of any connections between Veltman and the Afzaal family, or any link between the suspect and organized hate groups.
At a vigil held in London on Tuesday night, a family friend of the victims spoke a few words about her young friend Yumna before a moment of silence. Vigils have since been held in other cities across Canada in honour of the victims.
"My sister would not have wanted us to live in fear with wearing our hijabs, she would have wanted us to be proud of our identities," said Yasmin Khan.
"She would have wanted us to unite together, to stand for what is right, she would have wanted us to be kind to one another. That's all I ask. Take pride in your hijab and your religion, be humble and be kind."
Khan told CTV News Channel's Power Play that the family was a group of "amazing people."
"They were always there for people. If you did wrong upon them, and the next day you needed help, they would be first at your doorstep," Khan said.
Khan added that the community will do its best to raise Fayez, who is now orphaned because of the attack.
"Family is here and we are all doing what we can to support him," she said. "He is everyone's son now… We will do as much as we can, because that is what our sister and brother would've wanted."
The community is raising money for his future needs with more than $1.5 million pledged so far.
Huda Sallas told CTV National News that Yumna was her best friend. She said she is going to miss her sense of humour.
In addition to being funny, Sallas said her friend was also smart and humble.
"I can't name you all her talent and skills; everything she tried she was amazing," Sallas explained. She added that Yumna had previously created a mural at their grade school, meant to inspire other students.
Sallas said she actually drove by the site of the attack, but did not realized what she had saw until the next day.
"I saw her feet, my best friend's feet next to the man doing CPR on her," Sallas said.
"Hate took away my best friend," she added.
Another of Yumna's friends, Safiyah Lawendy, 14, previously told The Canadian Press that she hopes the attack serves as a wake-up call for those who don't believe Islamophobia is present in Canada.
London Mayor Ed Holder described the attack as "an act of mass murder, and a grotesque expression of hatred rooted in Islamaphobia."
Holder told CTV's Your Morning on Tuesday that the city is supporting its Muslim community in its grief.
"This kind of thing, you always imagine, happens somewhere else," he said. "This is the time when we've lost our innocence."
Dr. Ahmed Hegazy, a family friend, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday that he had first met the Afzaals 14 years ago at the mosque, and that his shock had yet to dissipate days after their deaths.
He described Salman Afzaal as "very helpful to everybody, really just somebody who'd go out of his way to help people. His wife was no different."
Friends say the Afzaals were well known within London's Pakistani-Muslim community. Another family friend, Saboor Khan, described them as "gems in our community" and "the best of people."
"Everybody looked up to them, because of how hard they worked," he said.
Saboor Khan, who is also the president of the London chapter of the Muslim Association of Canada, said that his family lives in the same neighbourhood as the Afzaal family and goes out for walks every day.
"This could have been any one of us," he said.
"We have to think about what actions are needed to stop this kind of hate and this kind of violence."
He told CTV National News that it is difficult to imagine that the family went through such a horrific attack.
"It is not appropriate for anyone, any living creature, especially such beautiful people," he said.
Khan said the father, Salman, would regularly help at the mosque and was always seen with a smile on his face.
"He made you feel important. He made you feel good," he said.
A funeral for the family is expected to take place on Saturday.
In the wake of the tragedy, the National Council of Canadian Muslims has launched a petition calling for a National Action Summit on Islamophobia where federal, provincial, and municipal leaders can come together to "take immediate action on dismantling both violent forms of Islamophobia and systemic Islamophobia."
As of Wednesday evening, the petition had over 25,000 signatures.
----
If you need mental health help in the wake of the London, Ont. vehicle attack, support and resources are available here.
With files from CTVNews.ca's Ryan Flanagan, CTVNews.ca's Brooke Taylor, CTV News London, and The Canadian Press
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.