Australian first responders are attending the scene on Flinders Street, Melbourne, after a vehicle plowed into pedestrians.
• 13 people taken to hospital and 2 people being treated on the scene
• 2 men have been arrested
• Unknown if terror related pic.twitter.com/xP13JdWtUy— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 21, 2017
This NBC News video shows the immediate aftermath in Melbourne, Australia of a car barrelling into pedestrians, injuring a reported 19 people (4 critically), at around 4:45 pm local time. The attack, which authorities are calling a “deliberate act,” occurred near the city’s iconic Flinders Street railway station while it was buzzing with commuter traffic and pedestrians en route to nearby shops. CNN affiliate Seven Network reports that the car was traveling at approximately 60 mph, and witnesses “saw people flung into the air.”
Within 15 seconds of the attack, an off-duty police officer on the scene apprehended a suspect, who scuffled with the officer, was detained (you can see a photo here), and is now in custody. He’s an unidentified 32-year-old man of Afghan descent and a citizen of Australia. CNN also reports that, at this time, police have discovered no terror link for the attack and state that the driver had mental health issues and a known history of drug use.
Police also arrested a second man, who was reported while filming the chaotic scene and held a bag that contained knives, although authorities don’t currently believe he was connected to the attack. In this video clip, the aftermath can be viewed from ground level as first responders treat injured victims.
https://twitter.com/lutaniaputri/status/943730241796587520
Over the past year, numerous vehicle attacks have targeted pedestrians in an intentional manner, terror-related or otherwise, around the globe. Most recently, 11 pedestrians were injured during a car collision in London. And a Halloween attack in New York City, which was determined to be an act of terror, killed 8 people and injured many more when a truck plowed down a well-trafficked bicycle path in Tribeca.
(Via NBC News, Australia Broadcasting Company, CNN & Business Insider)