During the sentencing session this Thursday morning, the judge confirmed that Nathaniel Feltman's actions on June 6, 2021, constitute terrorism.

Feltman, 23, was convicted in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021, killing 44-year-old Madiha Salman, her 46-year-old husband Salman Afzal, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna, and 74-year-old grandmother Talat Afzal, while their nine-year-old son was seriously injured but survived.

Judge Renée Pomerance ruled today that Feltman’s actions “constitute terrorist activity.”

The length of Feltman’s sentence is still unclear.

In her remarks to the court, Pomerance said she does not use Feltman’s name during sentencing because she does not want to give others like him a platform, referring to him only as the offender.

She added that it was a planned and deliberate attack aimed at intimidating a segment of the public.

The sentencing began at 10 a.m. at the London, Ontario courthouse where Feltman was seen sitting in the prisoner’s box wearing a black suit.

The main courtroom was full, and it was necessary to utilize this crowding.

Friends and relatives honored the family during the sentencing session on attacker Nathaniel Feltman last month, expressing their sorrow. 

The boy who survived the incident, whose name was withheld to protect his privacy, said the attack deprived him of the chance to see his sister turn 18 and his parents become grandparents.

He told the court in a statement read on his behalf: “I can no longer talk to my family and make new memories with them. I won’t be able to have fun with them anymore.”

He confirmed that he misses his mother’s food, going to pray at the mosque with his father, and doing art with his grandmother, and that he constantly remembered his loss whenever he saw his relatives’ and family friends.

The boy addressed a message to all other children who feel upset when their parents ask them to do their homework. He said: “As much as I loved playing video games all day instead of doing my homework that my parents asked me to do, I now realize they only say these things to help me.”

“Once they leave you, you start noticing how much they care about you.”