Driver ploughs into crowd in Melbourne
A CAR ploughed into a crowd in Australia’s second-largest city yesterday, injuring 19 people in what police said was a deliberate act but one they did not believe was terror-related.
Witnesses said people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle, which did not appear to be trying to stop as it mowed everybody down at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne.
Victoria state police said the 32year-old driver, an Australian of Afghan descent, was known to authorities for traffic and minor-assault offences and had mental health issues.
The car was driven intentionally through the intersection and collided with a large number of pedestrians, acting chief commissioner Shane Patton said in Melbourne.
The driver had a history of drug use and mental health issues, he said.
“At this time we do not have any evidence or intelligence to indicate a connection with terrorism.”
The man was arrested after a tussle with an off-duty police officer.
Investigators were waiting to interview the driver, who was in hospital under police guard.
Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews called the incident an evil, deliberate, cowardly act that left 19 people hurt – four of them critically.
In a tweet, police appealed to the public to upload any images they might have of the incident to help assist with their investigation.
A witness, named only as Sue, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she heard screams and saw people flying everywhere.
“We could hear this noise. As we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down,” she said.
“People [were] flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People [were] running everywhere.”
Another witness, John, told ABC Radio Melbourne that he saw an SUV coming at high speed.
“[I] really just heard the collision with people with bags and what must be shopping trolleys – and I hope not prams,” he said.
‘I’ve really never seen anything like this before and I haven’t stopped shaking.”
The intersection was one of Melbourne’s busiest, a shop owner told national broadcaster ABC, and was particularly crowded at this time of the year ahead of the Christmas break, with school holidays under way.
The incident came after a car mowed down pedestrians in Melbourne’s busiest mall in January, killing six people.
The driver, whose case is still being heard in court, had been pursued by police prior to the rampage after he allegedly stabbed his brother.
Canberra has become increasingly worried about homegrown extremism and officials say they have prevented 13 terror attacks on home soil in the past few years.
The Australian government in August unveiled a strategy aimed at preventing vehicle attacks in crowded public places.
Suggested steps include deterrent options like fencing and closed circuit cameras, and delaying approaches such as trees and bollards to slow down vehicles.
Melbourne has also been installing a public siren system and more security cameras to warn people of a possible terrorist attack or other serious threats.
Over the next few days, hundreds more police would patrol the city, Andrews said.
While the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident were still unclear, there have been several cases of vehicles being used to deliberately maim and kill, including in Nice, France, on July 14 last year.
Berlin, New York, London, Stockholm and Barcelona have also had such attacks.