State funeral offer for victim’s family
THE family of a popular Melbourne restaurateur who was killed in the Bourke St terror attack has been offered a state funeral as the city continues to mourn the tragedy.
Hundreds of flowers and cards line the footpath outside of Pellegrini’s restaurant as staff let mourners know the tributes would be passed on to the family of Sisto Malaspina.
The 74-year-old man was walking down Bourke St, just a few hundred metres from the business he had run for more than 40 years, when he was caught up in the horrific attack.
Yesterday, Premier Daniel Andrews spoke to the family of Mr Malaspina and offered a state funeral. The family have not made a decision.
Tasmanian businessman Rod Patterson and a 24-yearold security guard were also injured in the attack.
Despite the shocking event the Premier said the “act of evil” was not enough to change the heart of the city with a “proportionate response” needed to combat terror.
“We will do, and have done everything possible, to keep Victorians safe from an infrastructure point of view. But we are not going to fundamentally change the way the city works, for instance, running trams,” Mr Andrews said.
Attacker Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, who was shot dead by police, was known to authorities for his radical views. However, the family of the attacker said the man had mental health problems in a note to reporters.
“Hassan suffered from mental illness for years and refused help. He’s been deteriorating these past few months,” a note given to Nine News showed. “Please stop turning this into a political game. This isn’t a guy who had any connections with terrorism but was simply crying for help,” it read.