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Melbourne Crash Was ‘Deliberate,’ Police Say After Driver’s Arrest Melbourne Car Attack Was Not Connected to Terrorism, Police Say
(about 3 hours later)
MELBOURNE, Australia — An S.U.V. plowed into a crowd on a busy street in central Melbourne on Thursday, injuring at least 14 people, including a child, in what the police called “a deliberate act.” MELBOURNE, Australia — The driver of an S.U.V. who plowed into a crowd on a busy Melbourne street on Thursday, injuring 19 people, was mentally ill, Australian officials said, describing the attack as a deliberate “act of evil” but not terrorism.
The driver of the vehicle and a second person were arrested, although Cmdr. Russell Barrett of the Victoria Police said, “We do not know the motivation.” The police would not say whether the case was terrorism-related and did not release the names of the two in custody. “This is a terrible, evil, cowardly act and one that will be condemned by all Victorians,” Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria State, said at a news conference, hours after the perpetrator drove a white Suzuki S.U.V. through a busy intersection in central Melbourne.
Mr. Barrett said that 14 people were injured, and several of them were hospitalized in critical condition. A Victoria newspaper, The Age, reported that a preschool-age child had been admitted with a head injury. The Australian police could point to no motive for the attack, which paralyzed the city’s heart at the end of the workday, as it was teeming with people heading home or doing holiday shopping. Among the injured was a preschool-age child and an off-duty police officer who arrested the driver. Four of the 19 victims admitted to hospitals were in critical condition, the authorities said.
One witness, Federica Viezzoli, 40, described the vehicle “smashing into people” after it turned onto crowded Flinders Street just as the evening commute home was beginning. Shane Patton, Victoria’s acting police commissioner, described the driver as a 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan descent. He was known to the authorities and had a history of criminal assault and drug abuse, according to Mr. Patton, who said the man was being treated for a mental illness.
“They basically were just bumped into the air, a couple of them,” she said of the victims. “I heard the noise of bones crushing. It was kind of terrible. And the car ended up near the tram tracks.” “At this time we do not have any evidence or any intelligence to indicate there is a connection with terrorism,” Mr. Patton said. But he added that “we continue to support this investigation with our Counterterrorism Command to ensure that there isn’t a connection and that there is no ongoing threat.”
The crash happened just blocks from where a driver in January ran down a group of people with his car in a busy pedestrian mall, killing six and injuring many others before he was shot and taken into custody. The police said he was fleeing the police after stabbing his brother. The suspect, who resisted arrest, was the only person in the vehicle, Mr. Patton said. The police took him to the hospital after detaining him but had yet to interview him.
After that crash, the police installed bollards to protect pedestrians from similar incidents. A second man was also arrested at the scene, after the police found him filming the crash and carrying a bag of knives. Mr. Patton said the man remained in custody for questioning but that he was not believed to be connected to the attack.
Police and antiterrorism officials have become increasingly concerned about the possibility of deadly attacks on pedestrians with vehicles. In October, a man drove his truck into a group of pedestrians along the West Side Highway in Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring 12 in what the police called an act of terrorism. Investigators said he was inspired to commit the attack by Islamic State propaganda videos. The attack happened just blocks from a pedestrian mall where a driver ran down eight people in January, killing six and injuring many others before being shot and taken into custody. The authorities said the driver had been fleeing the police after stabbing his brother.
Vehicle attacks have also claimed victims in Nice, France, as well as in Berlin, Barcelona and London, among others. After that crash, the police installed bollards in various pedestrian areas in central Melbourne to prevent similar incidents.
Jim Stoupas, the owner of a doughnut shop in the area, told CNN that the driver “just barreled through pedestrians.” A witness to the Thursday attack, Federica Viezzoli, 40, described the vehicle “smashing into people” after it turned onto crowded Flinders Street, just as the evening commute home was beginning.
“The only thing that slowed him down was just the volume of pedestrians that he hit,” Mr. Stoupas said. “They basically were just bumped into the air, a couple of them,” she said of the victims. “I heard the noise of bones crushing.”
“It seemed to not slow down,” he said of the vehicle. “He literally just careened as if he was on a freeway. All you could hear was screams and just people bouncing off the car. It was awful.” The attack initially raised speculation about a connection to terrorism, given the number of recent vehicular assaults inspired by the Islamic State. In October, a man drove his truck onto a bike path along the West Side Highway in Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring 12. Investigators said he was inspired to commit the attack by Islamic State propaganda videos.
Video taken by a bystander, Lachlan Vella, after the S.U.V. came to a stop showed police officers in tactical gear using plastic ties to restrain one of the suspects, a man in a white T-shirt. Terror attacks using vehicles as weapons have also claimed victims in Nice, France, Berlin, Barcelona and London, among other places.
Mr. Vella said he believed the suspect was unconscious when he was removed from the mangled vehicle and detained by the police. In Melbourne, video taken Thursday by a bystander, Lachlan Vella, after the S.U.V. came to a stop showed police officers in tactical gear using plastic ties to restrain the suspect.
In the video, the front half of the S.U.V. is severely damaged, and both airbags are shown deployed. A slick of liquid appears to be leaking from the car. Another person, possibly a female victim, is briefly seen lying in the street being attended to by officers. In the video, the front half of the S.U.V. is severely damaged, and both airbags are seen to have deployed. A slick of liquid appears to be leaking from the car. Another person, possibly a female victim, is briefly seen lying in the street being attended to by officers.
The attack paralyzed the heart of Melbourne at the end of the workday, just as it was teeming with people heading home or doing last-minute holiday shopping.
“Everyone in Melbourne would have crossed that intersection at one time or another,” said Adam Bandt, a member of Parliament from Melbourne. “People are in shock and probably will be for some time.”“Everyone in Melbourne would have crossed that intersection at one time or another,” said Adam Bandt, a member of Parliament from Melbourne. “People are in shock and probably will be for some time.”
After the crash, the police appealed to the public to submit video of the incident to help with the investigation. Commander Russell Barrett of the Victoria Police said access to the site of the attack would be restricted for a “considerable period of time,” and he and other officials urged people to avoid the area.
“This has been a very traumatic event, and there will be witnesses, victims and family members affected,” Commander Barrett said. He added that access to the site of the attack, in the heart of Melbourne, would be restricted for a “considerable period of time,” and he and other officials urged people to avoid the area. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and others affected.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull offered his “thoughts & prayers” to the victims and others affected by the attack.