UPDATE: Officials are reporting four dead:
BREAKING: Police have confirmed a fourth person has died following today’s vehicular rampage in the CBD https://t.co/vUXEBYfv3c
— Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) January 20, 2017
Police have identified the culprit:
LATEST: The man police believe is responsible is 26-year-old Dimitrious Gargasoulas. MORE: https://t.co/EtVHVawgtp
— Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) January 20, 2017
Remarkably, police have asked Melbourne Herald Sun reporter Andrea Hanblin to remove her video interview of the eyewitness who claimed the driver was shouting, “Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar!”
@AndieHamblin Good thing that nobody saved a copy pic.twitter.com/GkkGDqE1LT
— MakAusGr8Again (@MakeAusGr8Again) January 20, 2017
Another witness says man screamed “f-ck the homeless people” while doing burnouts outside Flinders St. @theheraldsun
— Andrea Hamblin (@AndieHamblin) January 20, 2017
Original Post: Breaking news out of Melbourne, Australia, that at least three people have died after a man plowed a vehicle into a group of pedestrians near a shopping mall.
According to one witness, the driver was screaming, “Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar!”
This event is reminiscent of the terror attacks last July in Nice, France, and more recently at a Christmas mall in Berlin.
TERRIFYING SCENES from Melbourne CBD after car rams through pedestrians, killing one and injuring up to 20 #TenNews https://t.co/AbIEa4Z29V pic.twitter.com/s9S8efU3tE
— TEN Eyewitness News (@channeltennews) January 20, 2017
Car rams into pedestrians in #Melbourne #cbd pic.twitter.com/wc5Q1lT1NK
— Solf (@sunprawn) January 20, 2017
#BREAKING @victoriapolice say three people have died and at least 20 injured in a ‘deliberate’ car crash in Melbourne’s CBD. pic.twitter.com/DiAvgQ79FI
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) January 20, 2017
#BREAKING @PatsKarvelas says up to four children are in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. MORE https://t.co/p0uUt6Dxbd pic.twitter.com/Ucf715Kb2p
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) January 20, 2017
Police operation underway in CBD amid reports a rogue car drove through Bourke St mall. Police helicopter hovering above. @theheraldsun
— Andrea Hamblin (@AndieHamblin) January 20, 2017
OMG I JUST SAW PEDESTRIANS RUN DOWN BY A CAR EVADING POLICE DOWN BOURKE STREET MALL
— Not Jesse. Reek. (@Decoy_AU) January 20, 2017
Breaking: Shots have reportedly been fired during a police chase in Bourke Street in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD https://t.co/TmLVDpZAJr
— smh.com.au (@smh) January 20, 2017
Police fire shots and seize driver in Bourke St, Melbourne #news #melbourne pic.twitter.com/47RiyJvW0Q
— bwadamson (@BWAdamson) January 20, 2017
Witnesses describe the scene:
“There was a man hanging out of the window screaming” – teen describes driver as thin, dark hair, appeared Middle Eastern. @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/Y6JWW3djp1
— Andrea Hamblin (@AndieHamblin) January 20, 2017
This witness claims the driver was screaming, “Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar!”
This witness, Stefano, describes the driver screaming at people on the street.@theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/vlJYw6h0iW
— Andrea Hamblin (@AndieHamblin) January 20, 2017
That notwithstanding, Melbourne police are already dismissing any possible terror connection:
#BREAKING @VictoriaPolice say they believe incident was related to a stabbing earlier today and is not terror-related
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) January 20, 2017
Victoria Police can confirm today’s Melbourne CBD incident is not a terrorist incident. To clarify, the term CT stands for Counter Terrorism
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 20, 2017
We will update as more information is available.
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