Nine foreigners among those hurt in Australia car-ramming incident

Police say the suspect involved in the Melbourne car attack has been released from hospital and is now in their custody.

Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver of a vehicle that had ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia on December 21, 2017.
Reuters

Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver of a vehicle that had ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia on December 21, 2017.

Nearly half the 19 people injured when a driver ploughed into pedestrians in the southern city of Melbourne were foreign nationals, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday.

Police said that the 32-year-old man had a history of mental illness and drove a car into Christmas shoppers on one of the busiest roads in Australia's second-largest city on Thursday.

Turnbull and police said the driver had no known ties to extremist organisations. He is in police custody after being released from hospital, Australian media reported.

Police have yet to interview, charge or identify the man.

TRT World's Aksel Zaimovic reports.

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Foreigners injured

Turnbull said nine of the victims were foreign nationals. 

He did not specify their nationalities but Australian media reported they included people from China, India, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, South Korea and Venezuela.

"This is a shocking incident to occur just on the eve of Christmas but we will not be cowed by it," Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.

Police said a second man arrested at the scene was released and was expected to be charged with possession of cannabis and a controlled weapon, although those offences were not linked to the car incident.

The incident was a chilling reminder of attacks using vehicles in cities around the world. 

Four people were killed and more than 20 injured in January when a man deliberately drove into pedestrians just a few hundred metres away from Thursday's attack. 

That was also not designated as a terror attack.

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