She added that Ayliffe-Chung had a “gorgeous personality” and “always had a smile on her face”. “It’s an bad tragedy – I can’t believe it”.
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A 21-year-old British woman has died after she was attacked with a knife in front of 30 people at an Australian backpacker hostel.
The perpetrator was a 29-year-old French national who arrived in Australia on a tourist visa in March.
“Police were confronted with a bad scene when they arrived”, he said adding: “There were up to 30 people who witnessed the incident”.
Witnesses report that the man who stabbed her after embarking on a seemingly random rampage in the hostel yelled “Allahu Akbar!” Police have retrieved a knife which is believed to have been the weapon.
He continued: “Initial inquiries indicate that comments which may be construed as being of an extremist nature were made by the alleged offender”.
The man allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he attacked her. Police have confirmed he shouted the phrase after his arrest.
A British backpacker has been stabbed to death in Australia in what police say could be a terror attack.
Police said Miss Ayliffe-Chung’s family had been contacted, as had the relatives of the injured British man who was taken to Townsville Base Hospital. “Our thoughts are with the families at this hard time”.
“There is no known ongoing threat to the community”.
A second man suffered minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital.
Friends have also been paying tribute to both Britons since hearing of the attack.
Rohweder said the officers asked the alleged attacker, who had sustained injuries to his arms, to lay on the ground before taking him into custody.
Around 30 people are reported to have witnessed the shocking incident. “It is individual criminal behaviour”.
“The FBI is working with the Roanoke County Police Department following the incident that occurred on Saturday evening”, said Special Agent Adam Lee of the stabbing.
The suspect’s mental health is also being assessed.
Australia has been on heightened alert for terror attacks since September 2014, suffering several attacks including the lone wolf style murder of Police accountant Curtis Cheng at a Western Sydney police station previous year.
“We condemn this murderous aggression and we are fully cooperating with Australian authorities”, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said Wednesday.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this hard time”.
The British High Commission has sent staff to Townsville. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends”.
Police are investigating if a romantic obsession is behind the fatal stabbing of a backpacker in north Queensland.
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Her latest post on Saturday described her new farm job which she said involved “moving rocks out the way of the harvester”.
