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No indication fatal attack on Brisbane bus driver racially motivated No indication fatal attack on Brisbane bus driver racially motivated
(about 2 hours later)
There is no indication a fatal attack on a bus driver in Brisbane was racially motivated, Queensland police say. An Indian migrant who was deliberately burnt to death behind the wheel of a Brisbane bus was the victim of a random attack that has horrified Australians, police believe.
Manmeet Alisher, who was also an Indian singer well known in the Punjabi community, was set ablaze by a passenger at a Moorooka bus stop on Friday morning. Tributes are flowing for Manmeet Alisher, 29, a passionate singer and well-loved member of Australia’s ex-pat Punjabi community, whose life ended in the most appalling way on Friday.
An industry colleague, who asked not to be named, said Alisher was a soft-spoken and courteous man well known in Australia. He had recently performed at Diwali, the annual Hindu festival of lights, in Adelaide and also recited poetry. A passenger waiting on a Moorooka footpath allegedly climbed onto Alisher’s bus just after 9am and hurled an incendiary device at him, engulfing the young man in flames as terrified passengers screamed and fought to escape.
“One of those genuine guys. It’s very sad, everyone’s in shock,” he said. “It’s a very tragic loss.” Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart says there’s nothing to suggest terrorism or racial motivations were a factor in an attack he described as disturbing. But he said counter-terrorism authorities were involved in the murder investigation as a “precaution”.
There has been an outpouring of grief from the Punjabi community on Facebook following the 29-year-old driver’s death. Stewart said little was known about a 48-year-old man who’s been cooperating with detectives since his arrest at the scene. He is being treated for burns in the Princess Alexandra hospital.
Police commissioner Ian Stewart said Alisher was killed after a man threw an incendiary device, which burst into flames. The man wasn’t previously known to authorities, and police have said the attack appears random and, so far, without any obvious motive. The attack, on a suburban commuter bus travelling through a multicultural suburb of Brisbane, could have been so much worse if not for the actions of a taxi driver who’s been hailed a hero.
Stewart said counter-terrorism authorities were involved in a homicide investigation into the attack at Moorooka, but there was nothing to suggest any terrorism-related links at this point. Stewart has publicly praised Aguek Nyok, who kicked out the back door of the bus as it stood burning and choked with smoke.
Six passengers on the bus were taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Passengers, reportedly including some children and their terrified mothers, were able to escape. Six people who were on the bus have been treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.
Stewart paid tribute to the heroic actions of a taxi driver who saw what was happening on the burning bus and kicked in the rear door, allowing the passengers to escape. Nyok said has told of his confusion after coming across the blazing vehicle. He began kicking frantically at a back door when he heard people screaming.
A 48-year-old man is in custody over the attack that killed Alisher. “I thought the driver would open the door for them but nah, I stood a few seconds and nothing was happening so I decided to do something about it,” he told the Nine Network. “Everyone was shaking ... I was just holding the door until the last one got out.”
“While we don’t know the actual motives at this stage, I want to reassure the community that we take these incidents very seriously and that is why, as a precaution, officers from the state security and counter terrorism group have also been involved in this investigation,” Stewart told reporters. Veteran police Superintendent Jim Keogh said there was no hope for the driver, who was enveloped in flames.
“I want to assure you that there is no evidence at this time of any linkage to terrorist-type activities and certainly that has not become evident through the ongoing investigations that have occurred.” “He would have stood little chance. Words escape me. It’s a horrific incident,” he told reporters.
He added: “We do not believe at this stage that there is any evidence linking this to a racial complaint or concern by either of the people involved.” Alisher was remembered on social media by members of the Indian community.
Stewart appealed to anyone who might have footage of the attack to come forward. “It’s devastating news hard to believe he was our hero. It’s very big loss to Punjabi community across the world,” Baldev Singh Nijjar wrote.
He said witnesses had been traumatised by what they saw and the attack was weighing heavily on the state just a few days after four people died on a ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. Shock and anger has already started to emerge among other bus drivers, who’ve long bemoaned the lack of government action on driver safety.
“We’ve rarely had a week where so much tragedy has occurred,” he said. Just four weeks ago, the Queensland government announced a wide-ranging review into bus driver safety, after sustained pressure from drivers and the Rail Tram and Bus Union. In announcing the review, the transport minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, revealed there had been more than 350 assaults on bus drivers across the state in the previous six months.
The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said Queenslanders’ hearts would be breaking for relatives of the driver, who took a casual job driving busses just a few months ago.
She said that like the Dreamworld ride accident that killed four people earlier this week, the bus tragedy had left witnesses who would need help to recovery from what they’d witnessed.
“This week has just been filled with tragedy,” she said.