Sydney stabbings: Chinese citizen injured in unprovoked attack in Australian city’s CBD
- One woman found dead in apartment and another injured at nearby intersection as man goes on rampage
- Police say they are not treating it as an act of terrorism, although the man had collected information on his computer about mass killings
A knife-wielding man with a history of mental illness is suspected of slaying a woman in a downtown Sydney apartment on Tuesday before wounding a Chinese woman and attempting to stab other people while yelling “Allahu akbar”, or “God is great”, Australian police and witnesses said.
China’s consulate in Sydney confirmed late on Tuesday that the injured woman, who had a stab wound to her back and was taken to hospital in a stable condition, is a Chinese citizen. It said her condition is not life threatening.
Police have not labelled the rampage an act of terrorism, although the 21-year-old assailant – who was restrained by members of the public before being arrested – had collected information on his computer about mass killings in North America and New Zealand, New South Wales state police commissioner Michael Fuller said.
“It is not currently classed as a terrorist incident. Obviously as the investigation continues we will reassess that,” Fuller told reporters.
“He is by definition, at the moment, a lone actor. Information was found on him that would suggest he has some ideologies in relation to terrorism, but he has no links to terrorism,” Fuller said.