A British woman has been killed after being stabbed at a hostel in Australia by man who allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.
A 30-year-old British is also in a critical condition following the attack at the Shelly’s Backpackers in the town of Home Hill in Queensland at around 11:15pm local time on Tuesday, police said.
Queensland Police Service said up to 30 people witnessed the “senseless act of violence” at a room in the hostel.
A 29-year-old French national was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. He was then transferred to hospital for treatment for “non-life threatening” injuries.
The woman, who has been named locally as Mia Ayliffe-Chung, was found dead at the scene and the British man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
She had arrived in the area around 10 days earlier with the hope of finding work as a fruit picker nearby to fulfil the requirements of her visa.
She had previously been working as a waitress at a nightclub in the Surfers Paradise suburb of Gold Coast City, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
A 46-year-old Australian man, who attempted to intervene, was also stabbed in the leg but his injuries were not deemed to be life threatening and he has since been released from hospital.
In a press conference, deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the investigation was in its early stages and all motivations were being considered, including criminal and political, as well as the impact of drugs and mental health problems.
He said: “Initial inquiries indicate that comments which may be construed as being of an extremist nature were made by the alleged offender.
“It is alleged that the suspect used the phrase ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the attack and when arrested by police.”
Detective Superintendent Ray Rohweder from the Queensland Police Service said officers were confronted with a “terrible scene” when they arrived.
He said the families of both victims had been contacted with the help of the British consulate and said the forces “thoughts and condolences” were with them.
Police have refused to release information on how long the victims had been in the country or whether they knew each but other but did confirm they had been staying at the accommodation.
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Sourced from Independent, Featured image courtesy: www.standard.co.uk
