What We Know About the Man Who Ran Down Pedestrians in Melbourne

According to police, the 32-year-old man accused of driving an SUV through a pedestrian crossing is an Afghan-Australian man, Saeed Noori.

Noori is accused of accelerating through a packed intersection at around 4:45 on Thursday afternoon, putting 19 people in hospital including one four-year-old boy. Three people are now in a critical condition although there have been no fatalities.

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has said that the event seemed to be without a clear motive, although on the question of terrorism he admitted “nothing should be ruled out”.

“To be attacked like this, in the middle of one of our great cities, is a shocking event, a shocking crime,” he said. “And, of course, we know that only 11 months ago, Melbourne suffered a terrifying attack in which a car was used to kill and injure innocent civilians in the Bourke Street Mall.”

Footage of the aftermath via Channel Nine News:

Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton this morning told 3AW that the man had a history of drug use and was currently on a mental health plan, but he also highlighted the lack of a clear motivation. “We haven’t identified any extremist ideology,” he explained on air. “We’re certainly not at a stage where we’re talking about charging him with terrorism offences.”

Despite this, he admitted the man made some “utterances” while under arrest about the global mistreatment of Muslims. He’d also spoken about voices in his head and strange dreams.

Saeed Noori is currently under guard in hospital and will undergo a psychiatric assessment. It’s understood he had an appointment with a mental health specialist yesterday afternoon but failed to show up. He was also known to police over a minor infringement from 2010 but otherwise had a clean record. He was also not on any police watch-list for religious extremism.

A group from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community gathered outside Flinders Street Station yesterday to show support for the injured. "As Australian Muslims, it is not just a moral but also a religious duty to condemn in the strongest possible terms today's horrific and senseless act of violence," the imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Victoria said in a statement.

"We express our deepest sympathy and pray for the full recovery of those injured in the incident.”

Police will remain in the vicinity of Flinders, Elizabeth, and Swanston streets to ensure community safety.

Witnesses are encouraged to visit Melbourne West Police Station at 313 Spencer Street, Melbourne or to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.