Sydney - The man accused of driving a car that rammed into a
crowd of pedestrians in Melbourne on Thursday appeared in court
Saturday charged with 18 counts of attempted murder.
Saeed Noori, 32, who came to Australia as an Afghan refugee, did not
apply for bail and is due to appear in court again on Wednesday. He
is also charged with one count of conduct endangering life.
When Noori saw his mother in the court room he put his head in his
hands and became emotional, the broadcaster ABC reported.
His mother cried and rocked back and forth when she saw her son enter
the courtroom. Security warned her when she tried to approach him in
the dock. She did not comment to media after the hearing.
Melbourne Magistrate's Court was told the motivation for the attack
remained under investigation, and further charges were being
considered.
Noori's lawyer told the court his client's mental and physical health
would be an issue while he was in custody. The magistrate ordered a
psychiatric assessment.
A damaged vehicle is seen at the scene of an incident on Flinders Street, in Melbourne. Police arrested a driver after a car drove into pedestrians on a sidewalk in central Melbourne. Picture: Joe Castro/AAP Image via AP
Eighteen victims were taken to hospital after the car accelerated and
ran a red light to slam into pedestrians crossing the road near
Flinders Street Station in central Melbourne at 4.40pm Thursday.
On Saturday twelve people remain in hospital receiving treatment,
including an off-duty police officer who ran to the vehicle when it
came to a stop and detained the driver.
The court was told three people are still in a critical condition.
They are two South Korean men aged in their 60s and an 83 year old
Melbourne man.
Nine of the injured were foreign nationals coming from South Korea,
China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.
Earlier, police said there was no evidence the driver of the car was
linked to terrorist groups, but that he did make "rambling" comments
about Allah and poor treatment of Muslims during initial discussions
after the incident.
Acting chief commissioner of Victoria Police Shane Patton said there
was no evidence the attack was premeditated or terror-related, the
Melbourne Herald-Sun newspaper reported Saturday morning.
Pedestrians walk past as police and emergency services attend the scene of an incident involving a vehicle and pedestrians in Melbourne. Picture: Kaitlyn Offer/AAP Image via AP
"We still haven't ruled out terrorism. We continue to explore it.
It's about exploring the evidence and the evidence will ultimately
take us where it does. If that means it's a terrorist event, so be
it."
Earlier, police said the man had a history of mental health issues
and drug abuse.
At a press conference on Saturday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews
said there would be an increased police presence at events following
the "cowardly act" on Flinders Street.
"Victorian police have the resources and the resolve to do everything
that needs to be done to keep the community safe," he said. Extra
police will be at Carols by Candlelight, the Boxing Day cricket test
against England, and New Year's Eve.