A 21-year-old British woman died at the scene and a 30-year-old British man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Advertisement
A French man allegedly shouted Allahu Akbar after stabbing a British woman to death and injured two men in an attack in North Queensland.
But police were “not ruling out any motivations at this early stage, whether they be criminal or political”. Police were still investigating the motive behind the attack and will consider whether mental health issues or drug use was a factor.
The suspected attacker – a French tourist – yelled “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) as he was arrested, a Queensland Police spokesman said.
A dog was also killed in the attack, which happened at around 2.15pm (11.15pm local time) on Tuesday and was witnessed by up to 30 people.
AFP Commander Sharon Cowden said he was lawfully in Australia and not known to any authorities.
Advertisement
When asked if the 29-year-old Frenchman, who is in police custody, had links to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, Gollschewski said “no” and added that there was no ongoing threat to the community. “He is a visitor to Australia and appears to have no known local connection This is a tragic incident”.
