Arrest, computer use of accused in deadly attack on Muslim family in London, Ont., detailed in new documents

The man charged in a deadly vehicle attack on a Muslim family last year in London, Ont., was on his knees and wearing a green military-style helmet when police found him in a shopping mall's parking lot just minutes after the incident, newly released court documents reveal. 

The 271 pages unsealed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice also show what police were looking for in Nathaniel Veltman's truck and apartment, on electronic devices that were found and searches done using the dark web.

Veltman, 21, was willingly arrested in the parking lot of Cherryhill Mall, about seven kilometres east of where the attack happened on June 6, 2021, according to the court documents, which detail multiple witness and police reports taken immediately following the attack.

Four members of the Afzaal family were killed while they stood on the sidewalk at the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road.

Prosecutors allege the accused intentionally drove his truck into the family while the five were out for an evening walk.

Salman Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna, and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, died. The couple's nine-year-old son, Fayez, was seriously hurt but survived.

Veltman has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, with associated terrorism charges.

According to the documents, an officer arrived at the mall and found a Dodge Ram truck, which had extensive damage to its front end and smoke coming from its engine block. 

The documents say police wanted to search Veltman's truck for a machete in an orange and black sheath. Their search list also included a serrated knife, an airsoft rifle and an axe.

Last November, CBC News and other media went to court to lift the sealing order on two search warrants from June 12 and June 30. 

The accused's Toronto lawyers had argued against it, saying it could compromise Veltman's right to a fair trial. The Crown argued releasing some of the information related to the sealing orders attached to the search warrants can occur without significant risk to Veltman.  

Large sections of the 271 pages of documents remain covered by a publication ban.

A significant part of the information that media gained access to includes information on digital devices and software, including three cellphones and one laptop with the ability to use the dark web.

The documents say the laptop had The Onion Router (TOR) installed, allowing the user to anonymously access dark web content that is not indexed by search engines, and requires special software or authorization to access.