 |
| The Afghan Muslim terrorist was between two detectives. |
The man was released from hospital on Friday afternoon and is now in police custody and set to be interviewed. Video captured by nearby security cameras shows the Suzuki Grand Vitara pull out from a street park and head towards a large crowd of people crossing the street.
The car appears to accelerate as it approaches the crossing pedestrians and continues to charge through the crowds striking innocent people in its path. The crowd can be seen to disperse as bodies are flung onto the road after apparently being hit by the large vehicle. Witnesses at the scene described seeing bodies flying “like dolls” after being hit.
Police are treating the shocking incident as a “deliberate act”. They say the Australian citizen of Afghan descent, named as Saeed Noori by the Herald Sun, was driving alone when he crashed a white Suzuki Grand Vitara into pedestrians at high speed outside Flinders St Station on Thursday at 4.41pm.
He is under police guard in St Vincent’s Hospital as police continue their “fluid investigation”. Speaking on Thursday, Victoria Police acting chief commissioner Shane Patton said the driver was known to police for “historical assault matters” but was not on bail. He is still to undergo psychiatric assessment and is yet to be formally interviewed.
“We understand that he is on a mental health plan and receiving treatment for a mental illness,” he said. “We’re working to clarify that.” The incident is not being treated as a terror investigation “at this time”, despite being supported by counter-terrorism teams. Mr Patton said police believed it was “quarantined to a singular incident” rather than part of a larger plot.
“It’s horrendous and life-changing for all emergency services who attend,” he said. “It’s life changing for victims and for those present. Their lives will be changed forever.”
‘ACT OF EVIL AND COWARDICE’
Nineteen people were injured in the seconds of chaos, including a four-year-old boy who is believed to have a head injury. They range from four to 83 years old, with some ages still unknown. Twelve people are still receiving treatment in hospital and one, a man in his 80s, is in a critical condition.
The 32-year-old driver and another 24-year-old man were arrested at the scene. The 24-year-old was seen filming the incident on his phone and found to be carrying a bag containing knives. Police said the 24-year-old had been released early Friday morning and that he was expected to be charged with possession of cannabis and a prohibited weapon.
The offences were not linked to the Flinders St incident, police said. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews slammed the “act of evil” but praised an off-duty policeman who detained the driver. “He [the off-duty officer] deserves special praise for the way in which he instinctively came to the rescue of others avoiding so much further carnage.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan descent arrived in Australia as a refugee through the “normal refugee programs”. Mr Turnbull said: “The position I am advised of at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. Whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.”
Afghan Noori has also made utterances to police about ‘voices, dreams and poor treatment of Muslims’, as CCTV emerged of the horrific incident. Afghan Noori arrived Australia in 2004 as a refugee at the age of 19 and became a citizen two years later.
(Blogger's Notes: The Australian State of Victoria where the state capital Melbourne is ruled by a Socialist government which basically is refusing to label the attack as a Terrorist Attack without even mentioning "I" word and "J" word and "M" word in their public statements on the so-called Melbourne Incident.)
