A man deliberately hit a Muslim family using a truck to death in Canada on Sunday, June 6, 2021. Canadian police on Monday said the motive for the attack was hatred, which was suspected to be the impact of Islamophobia.

Police said the number of families who died consisted of 4 people consisting of one child, two parents and a grandmother. The man who killed them was Nathaniel Veltman, 20, a resident of the City of London, Ontario, Canada.

Citing testimonies from residents at the location, Police said Veltman drove his pickup truck over the sidewalk and hit a family who was gathering. Before long, Veltman immediately fled at high speed. Veltman is now in custody. He was charged with murder and attempted murder. Police remain in custody of Veltman until he is brought to justice on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

"This was a premeditated and hate-motivated act. We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic beliefs," Detective Inspector Paul Waight of the London Police Department told reporters.

Waight added that it was consulting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and prosecutors about the possibility of bringing terrorism charges against Veltman. He was arrested in the mall parking lot without incident while wearing a body armor vest. There is no evidence that he had accomplices to the crime.

Meanwhile, the police have not released the names of the victims. But the London Free Press said that among the dead were Syed Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter, Yumnah Afzaal. Syed Afzaal's 74-year-old mother, whose name has not been confirmed, was also pronounced dead. Their 9-year-old son, Faez Afzaal, was hospitalized with serious injuries. Media reports say the family immigrated from Pakistan about 14 years ago.