Brit dies in Australian ‘Allahu Akhbar’ stabbing

A YOUNG British woman died and a man was critically injured when a French national allegedly stabbed three people while saying “Allahu Akbar” at an Australian backpacker’s hostel, police said yesterday.

Police are investigating the murder, which occurred late on Tuesday in Home Hill, a rural town south of Townsville in far north Queensland state, but could not say whether the alleged attacker had been radicalised.

The motivations behind the stabbings, which left a 30-year-old British man in a critical condition and a local man with non-life threatening injuries, were still unknown, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.

“Initial inquiries indicate that comments which may be construed of being of an extremist nature were made by the alleged offender,” he said.

It is alleged that the suspect used the phrase “Allahu Akbar” during the attack and when arrested by police, he said.

Police said the Frenchman, who had been in Australia since March, allegedly said Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) both during the attack and his arrest, which were reportedly witnessed by about 30 people at the hostel.

When asked if the 29-year-old had links to Islamic State, Gollschewski said “no” and added there was no ongoing threat to the community.

“It is a shocking incident and the community should remain vigilant. He was lawfully in Australia and at this stage he is not known to any authorities,” Australian Federal Police Commander Sharon Cowden added.

Canberra has been increasingly concerned about extremism in the country, and in particular about homegrown radicalisation, and raised the terror threat alert level to high in September 2014.

Authorities have conducted a series of counter-terrorism raids in various cities, while the government has passed new national security laws.

Police said that the British woman’s family had been contacted, as had the relatives of the 30-year-old British man who was taken to Townsville Base Hospital in a critical condition.

A 46-year-old Australian man injured in the incident sustained non-life threatening injuries and has since been released from hospital.