Major Vehicle Ramming Incident in Central Melbourne and Ongoing Risks

• A lone suspect used an SUV to ram into a crowd of people at a crossing and tram stop in central Melbourne.
• Two people were arrested, the driver of the vehicle and a bystander.
• 19 people were injured in the incident, four of them critically.
• The incident is being treated as terror related.

Crime: At approximately 16:42 local time, a vehicle failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing on the intersection between Melbourne’s busy Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street. The suspect struck a number of pedestrians on the crossing at high speed, the vehicle then mounted the curb and hit a further group of people waiting at a nearby tram stop. The vehicle also struck a tram and a bollard before coming to a stop. Within seconds of the incident taking place, police were on the scene. An off-duty police officer apprehended the man behind the wheel of the SUV. Another man was arrested at the time, but it is now believed that he has no connection to the incident and is assisting police with investigations.

Soon after the incident occurred the police confirmed that the incident was deliberate, and that the driver failed to try and stop. There is currently a police cordon around the area of the incident stretching from St Paul’s Cathedral to Queen Street. The police have said that it will remain in place until at least the morning of the 22 December.

The suspect has been confirmed as a 32-year-old male of Afghan descent who was known to police. He is not on bail or on any watch lists, or subject to any corrections orders. However, he does have a history of drug use and mental health issues, which are thought to be the driving factors behind the attack. Security services are not treating the incident as terror related.

The police have indicated that the attack is more likely to be linked to drug and mental health issues than to any religious or political motivation. Despite this, the methodology and immediate effects of the incident remain the same regardless of classification. Considering the extensive press coverage and demonstrable effectiveness of the attack, the likelihood of actual terrorist attacks copying the methodology has potential to increase. An attack along these lines remains easy to carryout due to its low-tech nature, and the relative ease of access to vehicles in most countries.

Disruption around major transit hubs is likely to persist for the next few days as law enforcement seek to prevent copycat attacks, particularly in the build-up to the Christmas and New Year holiday period; where numerous events may potentially serve as soft targets for terror attacks. The presence of armed officers and additional security screening should not be taken as an indicator that a credible threat has been identified or that an attack is imminent. No groups have recently issued credible threats indicating their intent to carry out at attack in Australia.