Investigators say terrorism is not the cause for a horrific attack in Melbourne, Australia where at least 3 died, including a child, when a man rammed his car purposely into pedestrians.
This conflicts with reports from an eyewitness who said the driver was yelling “Allahu Akbar”:
Several dead, children hurt in Islamic attack in Melbourne, Australia. We need to get together to end this hateful religion. @AndieHamblin pic.twitter.com/ZI43ercGxI
— Truth Bombers (@Truth_Bombers) January 20, 2017
But later, investigators said the attacker had stabbed his brother earlier in the day in a domestic violence dispute:
A man deliberately drove into a street crowded with pedestrians in Australia’s second-largest city on Friday, killing at least three people and injuring 20 others, police said. Officials said the incident had no links to terrorism.
The chaos began in the early afternoon, after a man was seen driving in erratic circles in the middle of a major intersection in downtown Melbourne. The driver then turned onto the Bourke Street Mall, a pedestrian-only road, deliberately colliding with pedestrians before continuing onto a sidewalk and hitting several other people, Victoria state Police Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said.
The man was arrested at the scene and there was no further threat to the public, Bateson said. Police believe the incident is somehow connected to a stabbing that had occurred in the city earlier in the day.
It’s probably best to wait for more information to conclude anything in these kinds of cases.
Victoria Police can confirm today's Melbourne CBD incident is not a terrorist incident. To clarify, the term CT stands for Counter Terrorism
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 20, 2017
TERRIFYING SCENES from Melbourne CBD after car rams through pedestrians, killing one and injuring up to 20 #TenNews https://t.co/AbIEa4Z29V pic.twitter.com/s9S8efU3tE
— TEN Eyewitness News (@channeltennews) January 20, 2017
Here is a close up image of the driver in the #Melbourne #CBD incident. #BourkeSt #BourkeStreet Melbourne CBD. pic.twitter.com/mkxvldtySQ
— William (@willziz) January 20, 2017
BREAKING: one dead & at least 20 injured in Melbourne, after shots were fired & pedestrians were run down. CCTV: innocents ran for lives. pic.twitter.com/tqr1rd8pM0
— 私は小さなクルド人です (@JPY_Kurdish) January 20, 2017