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2018 Melbourne stabbing attack

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2018 Melbourne stabbing attack
LocationBourke Street, Melbourne, Australia
Date9 November 2018 (2018-11-09)
4:20 pm (AEDT)
TargetPedestrians
Attack type
Stabbing
WeaponsKnife
Deaths2 (including the attacker)
Injured2
PerpetratorHassan Khalif Shire Ali
MotiveInspired by the Islamic State

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On 9 November 2018, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, a male attacker, set his vehicle on fire and stabbed three people at Bourke Street in the Melbourne central business district, Australia, before being fatally shot by Victoria Police.[1][2] Of the three victims stabbed by Ali, one of the stabbed victims died at the scene while the other two were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital. On 10 November, the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that the attack was "an act of terror" and is being treated as such by counter-terrorism police from both the Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police. Police also confirmed that the attack was Islamic State-inspired.[3]

Incident

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On 9 November 2018, at around 4:20 pm, a man set fire to a Holden Rodeo ute on Bourke Street between Swanston and Russell Streets, in the Melbourne central business district. The attacker emerged from the vehicle before it burst into flames. Police stated that there were propane gas cylinders in the vehicle, but they did not explode.[4]

Bourke Street, near the location of the attack

The man then went on a stabbing spree with a large knife and wounded three pedestrians, one of whom later died at the scene. The attacker was then confronted by two Victoria Police patrol officers, a member of the public also attempted to ram a shopping trolley into the attacker.[5] After slashing at the police officers, the attacker was shot once in the chest by one of the officers. The attacker was then disarmed and restrained by Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) members utilising less lethal tactics before being taken to receive medical treatment under guard, but later died in hospital.[6]

On 10 November, the day following the attack, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that "what we saw yesterday was an act of terror." The Guardian has described that he has expressed confidence in the Victoria Police to ensure the safety of Melbourne.[7] Officers from both the Victoria Police and from the Australian Federal Police were involved in a counter-terrorism investigation.[8]

Perpetrator

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Police identified the attacker as 30-year-old Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, who moved to Australia from Somalia in the 1990s with his parents and siblings and attended Al-Taqwa Islamic College. He was married with a young son.[9]

The Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Graham Ashton, told the media that the attacker was known to federal intelligence agencies but was not actively monitored.[10] The Australian Federal Police's acting national manager of counter-terrorism said Hassan's passport was cancelled in 2015 when the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation believed he was planning to travel to Syria to fight for the ISIL terrorist group,[11] but he was never a target of joint counter-terrorism taskforce investigations as they did not believe he was a threat.[12][13] Relatives and acquaintances have described Hassan as having mental health and substance abuse issues, being delusional and agitated prior to the attack, and complaining of "being chased by unseen people with spears."[14]

Hassan's 21-year-old younger brother, Ali Khalif Shire Ali, was arrested in November 2017 for planning to commit a mass shooting at Melbourne's New Year's Eve celebration.[15][16] Ali Khalif pled guilty to preparing a terrorist attack and in May 2020, he was sentenced to ten years jail, with a seven and a half years non-parole period.[17] On 18 December 2020, Ali Khalif's sentence was increased to sixteen years, with a non-parole period of twelve years.[18]

Victims

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Sisto Malaspina, aged 74, was killed when the perpetrator stabbed him above his collar bone. Eyewitnesses said it appeared Malaspina was walking over to the car after it burst into flames to offer assistance when he was stabbed. A former nurse tried to revive him by performing CPR, but the knife had severed a major artery.[19] Malaspina was the co-owner of Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, a nearby Italian coffee bar. Flowers, messages and photos have been laid in front of the shop as a tribute.[20]

The other two people injured were a 58-year-old retired businessman from Launceston, Tasmania, who suffered knife injuries to the head and was taken to the Alfred Hospital for surgery and a 24-year-old security guard from Hampton Park who received lacerations and was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital after being assessed by Ambulance Victoria paramedics.[21][22]

Aftermath

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Sisto Malaspina was honoured with a state funeral on 19 November 2018, and a memorial and plaque were installed on the street outside of his restaurant on Bourke Street.[23][24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Melbourne attack: Man shot dead after fire and fatal stabbing". BBC News. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  2. ^ Davey, Melissa (9 November 2018). "One confirmed dead - Police confirm assailant dead after attack – as it happened". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 November 2018). "Melbourne CBD terror attack a 'wake-up call', Australian police say". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  4. ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (9 November 2018). "Melbourne Stabbing Spree Leaves Two Dead, Including Attacker". New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  5. ^ Wyatt, Tim (9 November 2018). "Isis claims responsibility for Melbourne stabbing rampage". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  6. ^ Chang, Charis; Molloy, Shannon; Bedo, Stephanie (10 November 2018). "One person dead after stabbing in Melbourne CBD, man shot by police". news.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  7. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 November 2018). "Andrews' Press Conference - Bourke Street attack: police say Melbourne CBD terror assailant had links to Islamic State - latest updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  8. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 November 2018). "What we know so far - Bourke Street attack: police say Melbourne CBD terror assailant had links to Islamic State - latest updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  9. ^ Mills, Joe Hinchliffe, Simone Fox Koob, Melissa Cunningham, Tammy (10 November 2018). "Bourke Street attacker: Hassan Khalif Shire Ali 'delusional, agitated' before deadly rampage". The Age. Retrieved 14 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Davey, Melissa; Knaus, Christopher; Wahlquist, Calla; Zhou, Naaman (9 November 2018). "Melbourne attack: police name Hassan Khalif Shire Ali and say he was known to them". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Bourke Street attacker had passport cancelled but wasn't deemed a threat". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 November 2018.
  12. ^ Mills, Tammy; Cunningham, Melissa; Hinchliffe, Joe; Wells, Rachel; Boseley, Matilda (10 November 2018). ""A wake-up call": Police link Bourke Street terror attack to IS". The Age. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  13. ^ Ferguson, John (10 November 2018). "Bourke Street killer was not national security threat, says AFP". The Australian. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  14. ^ Hinchliffe, Joe; Mills, Tammy; Cunningham, Melissa; Fox Koob, Simone (10 November 2018). "Bourke Street attacker: Hassan Khalif Shire Ali 'delusional, agitated' before deadly rampage". The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Bourke Street attacker "failed in his plan to cause explosion"". SBS News. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  16. ^ Cavanagh, Rebekah (20 June 2018). "Accused terrorist to face Supreme Court trial". News.com.au. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  17. ^ Percy, Karen (21 May 2020). "Federation Square New Year's Eve terror plotter Ali Khalif Shire Ali sentenced to 10 years' jail". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  18. ^ Silva, Kristian (18 December 2020). "Federation Square terror plotter Ali Khalif Shire Ali has sentence increased after prosecutors appeal". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  19. ^ Lloyd, Shelley (10 November 2018). "Bourke Street attack victim, Pellegrini's co-owner Sisto Malaspina, remembered as "best boss"". ABC News. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  20. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 November 2018). "Sisto Malaspina – owner of Pellegrini's cafe – identified as Bourke Street victim". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  21. ^ Koob, Simone Fox; Boseley, Matilda (10 November 2018). "Two men recovering after being stabbed during Bourke Street attack". The Age. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  22. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 November 2018). "Bourke Street attack: police say Melbourne CBD terror assailant had links to Islamic State - latest updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  23. ^ Tran, Danny (19 November 2018). "'One of the greats': Melbourne farewells iconic cafe owner slain in Bourke St". ABC News. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  24. ^ "'Have a coffee with Sisto': Melbourne's memorial for Sisto Malaspina revealed". 3AW. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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