A video of citizens tackling a knife-wielding man with a milk crate, a chair, a crowbar, an axe, and other everyday objects has gone viral on social media.
In an incident that is being called the Sydney Stabbing, a 20-year-old man named Mert Ney went on a rampage with a kitchen knife on Tuesday, killing one woman and stabbing another while screaming Allahu Akbar.
Footage recorded by local news channel 7 News shows the man climb aboard a car, saying what sounds like, “Shoot me in the head.” The video then tracks the man’s frantic run through Sydney’s busy business district, followed by a group of bystanders and a few members of the fire police.
It finally ended when three men tackled Ney down to the ground.
Though stunned and exhausted from the chase, the witnesses continued to hold Nay in place for several long minutes till the police arrived.
The stabber’s victim has been identified as 24-year-old sex worker Michaela Dunn. Ney also stabbed a 41-year-old woman who was rushed to the hospital and is now in stable condition.
Nay, who is a recent convert to Islam, was found to have a thumb drive containing details of “white supremacist” attacks in the United States and New Zealand. According to the police, the 20-year-old was a lone actor and did not have any links to terror organisations. Ney has a history of mental illness and drug abuse and walked out of Blacktown Hospital last Thursday after being treated for an overdose, reported News.com.au.
Police also found that the stabber had been carrying anti-depressants.
Speaking to the media, his sister apologised to the victim’s family. “She was younger than me,” she said. “...All the words that I am ever going to say aren’t going to bring her back, is it?”
She also said her brother had been suicidal and unstable and that she did not want to go meet him. “All this stuff about extremism and white supremacy is news to me,” she said. “Using religion like an excuse is not right, it’s not correct.”
Following his arrest, the attacker continued to shout as before.
However, the police in statements said that the incident would not be classified as an act of terror or religious extremism. Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister also tweeted, “The motivation for this attack has not yet been determined as Police are continuing with their enquiries.”
Meanwhile, a growing set of memes celebrating the milk carton and chairs as useful weapons of defence has flooded social media. Social media users mocked US President Donald Trump, who has often spoken about arming school teachers to stop school shootings – saying, “You don’t need weapons to stop terror.”
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