2016 Home Hill stabbings

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2016 Home Hill stabbings
Part of crime in Australia[a]
Location 30 Ninth Ave, Home Hill, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates 19°39′43″S 147°24′52″E / 19.661974°S 147.414460°E / -19.661974; 147.414460Coordinates: 19°39′43″S 147°24′52″E / 19.661974°S 147.414460°E / -19.661974; 147.414460
Date August 23, 2016 (2016-08-23)
11:15 pm AEST (UTC+10:00)
Attack type
Stabbing
Deaths 1
Non-fatal injuries
2
Perpetrator Smail Ayad

On 23 August 2016,[1] Smail Ayad (29) a French national committed a stabbing rampage at a backpackers hostel in Home Hill, Queensland, Australia. The attack left one British woman dead and two others injured.[2]

Police have reported that the perpetrator used the phrase "Allahu akbar" during the attack, but on the day following the attack, they said they "are not ruling out any motivations... whether they be political or criminal".[1] Ayad also sang the French national anthem during the attack.[3][4]

On 25 August 2016, 29 year old French national Smail Ayad was charged with the crimes.[5]

Attack[edit]

Ayad attacked Mia Ayliffe-Chung as she lay in her bunk. A second British backpacker, Tom Watson, asleep in the bunk above her, was also attacked when he awakened and attempted to defend her. He was stabbed over 20 times and remains in critical condition. The attacker, Smail Ayad, continued to "scream" Allahu akbar as police officers worked to subdue him, injuring several officers.[6]

Victims[edit]

A third man attacked by Ayad, Grant Scholz (46), has been released from the hospital.[7]

Attacker[edit]

Smail Ayad, 29, was a French national.[6]

Responses[edit]

The Islamic Council of Queensland criticised media reports for quickly linking use of this phrase with Islamic terrorism.[1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As of 24 August, the Queensland Police Service has not determined whether the stabbings were an act of terrorism.[1]

References[edit]