Windsor police investigator testifies in London, Ont. truck attack trial

WARNING: The details in this article and videos may be disturbing to some viewers

The terrorism trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22, continued Tuesday in a Windsor courtroom.

Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of terrorism-motivated first-degree murder and one count of terrorism-motivated attempted murder for the June 6, 2021 deaths of four members and injury to one member of the Afzaal family.

Veltman has already admitted to the court he was driving a pickup truck and intentionally drove into the family on Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road.

At the trial on Tuesday, Sgt. Liyu Guan took the stand.

Guan is a digital forensic examiner with the Windsor Police Service who was asked to look at five devices seized by the London Police Service from Veltman’s downtown apartment.

Last week, the jury heard the devices were a cellphone, laptop, external hard-drive and two USB thumb drives.

Guan told the jury he was asked to do three things:

• Identify the owner of the devices
• Take screenshots of evidence found on the devices
• Examine five individual files found on the devices

At the time, Guan said he didn’t have any other information about the investigation, including he was not told who the accused was in the case.

“It’s not my job to look for specific evidence,” Guan testified.

Guan found two different email addresses used on the laptop, both using variations of Veltman’s name. He also noted the only account user on the laptop was for “Nate.”

In the laptop’s recycle bin, the jury saw five files.

They were told by federal prosecutor Sarah Shaikh one of them is a “shooting video” which was “opened” eight times, according to Guan’s testimony.

The most recent file in the Notepad app was titled “IDK,” and Shaikh told the jury that was the edited version of a document entitled "The White Awakening.”

In her opening statements to the jury on Sept. 11, 2023, Shaikh told the jury they would present evidence about a manifesto written by Veltman.

Guan will continue his evidence Wednesday.