‘Terrorist’ kills three generations from same Muslim family with truck in Canada

A nine-year-old Canadian boy is recovering in hospital after four members of his family died after a being run over in what is believed to have been an Islamophobic attack.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, on Tuesday labelled the Ontario attack as "terrorist."

"This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities," Mr Trudeau said during a speech at the House of Commons.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder and could face terrorism charges after police said he mounted the pavement in his pick up truck in “a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate."

The suspect, who does not have a criminal record, was arrested in a shopping centre car park in London, Ontario, “without incident” and was wearing a body-armour type vest, police said.

Mr Trudeau added on Twitter that he was "horrified" by the news, saying that "Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable – and it must stop."

The extended family issued a statement identifying the victims as Salman Afzal, 46; his wife Madiha, 44; their daughter Yumna, 15, and a 74-year-old grandmother whose name was withheld. The nine-year-old boy was identified as Fayez.

"Everyone who knew Salman and the rest of the Afzal family know the model family they were as Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis," the statement said.

"They worked extremely hard in their fields and excelled. Their children were top students in their school and connected strongly with their spiritual identity."

Friends said the family had migrated to Canada 14 years ago.

A fundraising webpage said the father was a physiotherapist and cricket enthusiast and his wife was studying for a PhD in civil engineering at Western University in Ontario. Their daughter was finishing Year 10, and the grandmother was a "pillar" of the family, the page said.

"There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate," Detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London police department told reporters.

"We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith," he added.

"This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil, and should be treated as such," said Mustafa Farooq, head of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Twitter that Sunday's attack reveals the growing Islamophobia in western countries.

Ed Holder, the mayor of London, Ontario, said flags would be lowered for three days in the city, which he said has 30,000 to 40,000 Muslims among its more than 400,000 residents.