A Muslim man has been arrested after allegedly stabbing another man in the neck at a Melbourne shopping centre and yelling “Allahu Akbar”.
Bystanders made a citizen’s arrest after the alleged stabbing at Moonee Ponds Central at 4.35pm on Monday, which took place after a verbal argument between the two men, 7 News reported.
The man can be heard repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” while pinned to the ground in video of the incident, but witness Liam Clifford said the man only started yelling the Islamic phrase once he had been restrained.
“He was calling it over and over again, he just wouldn’t stop, I think it was in response to getting tackled,” he said.
“It was scary. You don’t normally see this stuff happen in Moonee Ponds so it was pretty confronting.”
Another woman who works at a chicken shop said she rushed outside after hearing chaos erupt, the Herald Sun reported.
“I walked out after hearing screams and shouting and saw a man held down to the floor,” she said.
Up to five brave citizens are believed to have helped restrain the man until police arrived about five minutes later.
Police arrested a 55-year-old man from Fitzroy at the scene and took him into custody, but he is yet to be charged.
The victim, a 44-year-old man from Essendon, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries to the neck and chest, and is in a stable condition.
It is not clear whether the two men were known to each other.
“There is no ongoing threat to the community and police not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident,” police said in a statement.
The Moonee Ponds Police commander said the man had “significant mental health priors” and has been involved in minor offending, and that there was nothing to indicate the alleged stabbing was ideologically motivated.
Header image: Left, the man being restrained. Right, police at the scene (7 News).
