Related News
Australian knife attack 鈥榠nspired鈥 by terror group
Print Edition
A SOMALI-BORN Australian who went on a deadly knife rampage in the country鈥檚 second-largest city Melbourne was inspired by Islamic State but did not have a direct link to the jihadist group, the government said yesterday.
Hassan Khalif Shire Ali stabbed to death well-known local cafe co-owner Sisto Malaspina and injured two other men in Bourke Street in the heart of Melbourne on Friday afternoon before he was shot and killed by police.
The 30-year-old had gone to the bustling city in a utility vehicle filled with gas cylinders before setting it alight.
Islamic State said via its propaganda arm that Shire Ali was an 鈥淚slamic State fighter and carried out the operation,鈥 but provided no evidence to back its claim.
鈥淭he working theory is at the moment a case where this person has been downloading information or receiving messages in his own mind about what he should be doing,鈥 Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 inspired as opposed to an affiliation or membership.鈥
Drug and alcohol issues
Shire Ali, known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, had his passport revoked in 2015 on fears he was trying to travel to Syria to join IS.
But he was also assessed by authorities as not being a domestic threat.
Dutton defended the actions of ASIO, saying they had more than 400 investigations and people of interest to monitor.
鈥淧articularly where you have someone who can grab a knife from a kitchen drawer ... it is impossible for authorities to cover every one of those circumstances,鈥 he said.
Dutton鈥檚 comments came as Melbourne鈥檚 Herald Sun reported yesterday that Shire Ali had drug and alcohol problems, and had split from his wife and become distanced from his family.
Melbourne鈥檚 The Age raised questions about his mental health, quoting a local imam as saying Shire Ali told him he was being 鈥渃hased by unseen people with spears.鈥
Meanwhile more than US$36,000 has been raised on GoFundMe for a bystander dubbed 鈥渢rolley man,鈥 who was hailed as a hero for trying to stop Shire Ali by knocking him over with a shopping cart.
The man, named in local media as Michael Rogers, is homeless.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
