Oz stabbing attacker inspired by ISIS: Govt

■ Somali- origin man had set one car on fire, stabbed three, killing one

A Somali- origin man, who set a car on fire and stabbed three people, killing one of them, before being fatally shot in the Australian city of Melbourne, did not have a “definite link” to the dreaded Islamic State of Iraq and Syria but was “inspired” by it, the government said on Sunday.

Hassan Khalif Shire Ali stabbed three members of the public and attacked police officers in the Bourke Street on Friday before he was shot and killed by the police.

The 30- year- old, who was driving a Ute, loaded with gas bottles, into the Bourke Street, allegedly set it alight and began stabbing members of the public.

Home affairs minister Peter Dutton said authorities did not believe Ali, who had his passport cancelled in 2015, was a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and had not been known to be ready to act.

“There was no evidence available to the police... That any attack was imminent or that he had been part of planning,” Dutton told reporters.

“The judgment that was made ( by authorities) was … that he was not in the planning stage of an attack,” he added.

“In relation to his connections with ISIL ( another name for ISIS) or with any terrorist group... There’s not, as I’m advised, a membership

of an organisation or a definite link to ISIL.”

However, the terror group’s propaganda outlet, Amaq, earlier said “The perpetrator of the operation... In Melbourne... Was an ISIS fighter and carried out the operation... To target nationals of the coalition” fighting the ISIS.

“The working theory is at the moment, ( it’s) a case where this person has been downloading information or receiving messages in his own mind about what he should be doing. It’s an inspiral ( sic) as opposed to affiliation,” Duton said.

There was “no evidence” available to intelligence services that the terrorist behind the Bourke Street stabbings was preparing an imminent attack, Dutton added.