19 hurt as car ploughs into crowd in Melbourne: police

A car ploughed into a crowd in Australia’s second-largest city on Thursday injuring 19 people in what police said was a “deliberate act” but one they did not believe was terror related.

Witnesses said people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle, which did not appear to be trying to stop as it “mowed everybody down” at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne.

Victoria state police said the 32-year-old driver, an Australian of Afghan descent, was known to authorities for traffic and “minor assault” offences and had mental health issues.

The car was driven “intentionally” through the intersection and collided with a “large number” of pedestrians, Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters in Melbourne.

The driver “has a history of drug use and mental health issues... At this time we do not have any evidence or intelligence to indicate a connection with terrorism” or extremism, he said.

The man was arrested after a tussle with an off-duty police officer.

Investigators were waiting to interview the driver, who was in hospital under police guard.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews, called the incident an “evil, deliberate, cowardly act” that left 19 people hurt -- four of them critically. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said federal and state police as well as security agencies were working together to securae the scene and investigate the “shocking incident”.

The intersection is one of Melbourne’s busiest, a local shop owner told national broadcaster ABC, and is particularly crowded at this time of the year ahead of the Christmas break, with school holidays under way. (AFP, Reuters)