Police in Australia say the man who crashed his car into Melbourne pedestrians yesterday has blamed "the mistreatment of Muslims" for "some of his activities", but they still do not know what motivated him to drive his car through a busy crossing.
A white SUV sits in the middle of the secen after being driven into pedestrians Photo: AFP
Authorities say there is no increased threat to the public after the man with a history of drug use and mental illness allegedly crashed his car into people outside Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne.
The man was a 32-year-old Australian of Afghan descent.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the man arrived in Australia via a normal refugee programme.
The incident just after 4:40pm yesterday left 19 people in hospital, including a four-year-old boy.
Twelve were still in hospital this morning. One of them, a man in his 80s, is in a critical condition.
One of those injured was a New Zealand citizen.
Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the condition of a four-year-old boy, who was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital with a head injury, had improved.
He said the driver was undergoing a psychiatric assessment.
Police detain a man after the Flinders Street incident. Photo: Screengrab / @lachlanve / via ABC
"Last night investigators gained some access to him and were able to not conduct a formal interview, but had some preliminary discussions with him," Acting Commissioner Patton told ABC News Breakfast.
"During those discussions, he made some utterances ... in respect to a number of matters.
"Now, obviously we are continuing to explore this entire incident and trying to ascertain what the motivations are.
"We haven't ruled anything in or out and our counter-terrorism command continues to obviously assist Crime Command in this investigation."
Acting Commissioner Patton said a number of search warrants were executed last night, but no links to terrorism have been found.
"We haven't found anything at all to indicate his ... involvement with any type of extremism with any terrorism organisation or anything of a terrorist nature," he said.
He said the driver was on a mental health plan and had missed an appointment on the day of the crash.
Police and emergency personnel work at the scene on Thursday. Photo: AFP
The alleged driver is in custody in hospital and will be formally interviewed today.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said nine of the injured were from overseas.
"To be attacked like this, in the middle of one of our great cities, is a shocking event, a shocking crime," he said.
"Our consular officials are working hard to get in touch with their families and make sure they are aware of what has happened to their loved ones."
Mr Turnbull said the driver came to Australia as a refugee.
"He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the normal refugee programs," he said.
Witnesses reported hearing loud "bangs" as the car ploughed into pedestrians, saying people were "thrown into the air" before the car crashed into a tram station and came to a stop.
They said he was known to police, but was not on bail or under any corrections orders at the time of the incident.
"We believe, based on what we have seen, that it is a deliberate act," Victoria Police Commander Russell Barrett said yesterday.
"The motivations are unknown."
A group of youths from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community gathered outside Flinders Street Station yesterday in support of those injured.
"As Australian Muslims, it is not just a moral but also a religious duty to condemn in the strongest possible terms today's horrific and senseless act of violence," the imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Victoria said in a statement.
- ABC
