Car-ramming attack in Australia kills 3, injures 15

January 20, 2017

Australian police have said that a car-ramming attack in Melbourne that killed 3 and injured more than 15, was not terrorism-related.

A 26-year-old man intentionally drove into a number of people on Friday, killing three, including one child, and injuring more than 15, at a pedestrian mall in Melbourne, Australia.

Local police, who neutralized the driver after ramming his car and shooting him in the arm, do not consider the incident to be terrorism-related.

“We’re not regarding this as a terrorism-related incident,” said Victoria state police commissioner Graham Ashton to reporters on Friday.

Instead, police pointed to the driver’s history of family violence. “There’s an extensive family violence history,” noted Ashton. “He’s come to our attention many times in the past.”

“We know a fair bit about the driver’s background and the incident is not related to any counter-terrorism or terror-related activity,” he reiterated.

The driver was taken into police custody and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Victoria state police said in a statement that the car-ramming incident was apparently connected to an earlier stabbing incident between the driver and a woman he knew.

“Police understand the incident is linked to a stabbing that took place in Windsor early this morning involving parties known to one another,” the statement read. “Following this incident, it is alleged the same man took a woman, who is known to him, hostage in his car. She managed to escape from the car on the Bolte Bridge.”

Friday’s incident in Melbourne occurred at a time when thousands of tourists have flocked to the city which is currently hosting the Australian Open. Despite the car-ramming incident occurring a mere few blocks away, police said the tennis tournament continued operating as normal.

Read Terror 'is a question of opinion,' says UN spokesperson

The most recent incident of such an attack in Israel occurred in Jerusalem almost two weeks ago, killing four young Israeli soldiers.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News