A car ploughed into a crowd in Australia&#39;s second-largest city on Thursday injuring 19 people in what police said was a &quot;deliberate act&quot; 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 &quot;mowed everybody down&quot; 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 &quot;minor assault&quot; offences and had mental health issues.

Video:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/australia-car-hits-pedestrians-in-melbourne-several-injured-27349" target="_blank">Car hits pedestrians in Melbourne, several injured</a>

The car was driven &quot;intentionally&quot; through the intersection and collided with a &quot;large number&quot; of pedestrians, Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters in Melbourne.

The driver &quot;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&quot; 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 &quot;evil, deliberate, cowardly act&quot; that left 19 people hurt -- four of them critically.

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A man sits at the scene of the incident. (Reuters)
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Police and emergency services attend to the scene of the incident. (Reuters)
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&#39;Thump, thump&#39; 
In a tweet, police appealed to members of the public to upload any images they might have of the incident to help assist with their investigation.

A witness, named only as Sue, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she heard screams and saw &quot;people flying everywhere&quot;.

&quot;We could hear this noise, as we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down,&quot; she said.

&quot;People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere.&quot;

Another witness, John, told ABC Radio Melbourne that he saw an &quot;SUV coming at high speed&quot;.

&quot;(I) really just heard the collision with people with bags and what must be shopping trolleys -- and I hope not prams,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;ve really never seen anything like this before and I haven&#39;t stopped shaking.&quot;

The intersection is one of Melbourne&#39;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.

Vehicle attacks 
The incident came after a car mowed down pedestrians in Melbourne&#39;s busiest mall in January, killing six people.

The driver, whose case is still being heard in court, had been pursued by police prior to the rampage after he had allegedly stabbed his brother.

Canberra has become increasingly worried about homegrown extremism and officials say they have prevented 13 terror attacks on home soil in the past few years.

The Australian government in August unveiled a strategy aimed at preventing vehicle attacks in crowded public places.

Suggested steps include deterrent options like fencing and closed circuit cameras, and delaying approaches such as trees and bollards to slow down vehicles.

Melbourne has also been installing a public siren system and more security cameras to warn people of a possible terrorist attack or other serious threats.

Andrews said there would an inquiry into the incident, and whether any further changes to Melbourne&#39;s security measures needed to be made.

Over the next few days, hundreds more police would patrol the city, he added.

While the circumstances surrounding Thursday&#39;s incident were still unclear, there have been several cases of vehicles being used to deliberately maim and kill.

The most deadly such case was in the southern French city of Nice on July 14, 2016, when 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck down a beachside promenade, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more.

Other deadly attacks using vehicles have taken place in &nbsp;Berlin, New York, London, Stockholm and Barcelona.

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

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. Video: Car hits pedestrians in Melbourne, several injured 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. A man sits at the scene of the incident. (Reuters) × Police and emergency services attend to the scene of the incident. (Reuters) × 'Thump, thump' In a tweet, police appealed to members of the public to upload any images they might have of the incident to help assist with their investigation. A witness, named only as Sue, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she heard screams and saw "people flying everywhere". "We could hear this noise, as we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down," she said. "People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere." Another witness, John, told ABC Radio Melbourne that he saw an "SUV coming at high speed". "(I) really just heard the collision with people with bags and what must be shopping trolleys -- and I hope not prams," he said. "I've really never seen anything like this before and I haven't stopped shaking." 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. Vehicle attacks The incident came after a car mowed down pedestrians in Melbourne's busiest mall in January, killing six people. The driver, whose case is still being heard in court, had been pursued by police prior to the rampage after he had allegedly stabbed his brother. Canberra has become increasingly worried about homegrown extremism and officials say they have prevented 13 terror attacks on home soil in the past few years. The Australian government in August unveiled a strategy aimed at preventing vehicle attacks in crowded public places. Suggested steps include deterrent options like fencing and closed circuit cameras, and delaying approaches such as trees and bollards to slow down vehicles. Melbourne has also been installing a public siren system and more security cameras to warn people of a possible terrorist attack or other serious threats. Andrews said there would an inquiry into the incident, and whether any further changes to Melbourne's security measures needed to be made. Over the next few days, hundreds more police would patrol the city, he added. While the circumstances surrounding Thursday's incident were still unclear, there have been several cases of vehicles being used to deliberately maim and kill. The most deadly such case was in the southern French city of Nice on July 14, 2016, when 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck down a beachside promenade, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more. Other deadly attacks using vehicles have taken place in Berlin, New York, London, Stockholm and Barcelona.

Australia car ramming: 19 hurt; police say 'deliberate act' but not terror-related

An Indian was among 19 people injured when a speeding SUV <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/australia-car-ramming-19-hurt-police-say-deliberate-act-but-not-terror-related-27387" target="_blank">ran down pedestrians</a> at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne today, an incident described by Australia as &quot;act of evil and an act of cowardice&quot;.

A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time (0530 GMT), injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir.

According to eyewitnesses, the car driver was waiting for the traffic signal to turn red before he drove his vehicle hitting pedestrians crossing the road.

However, the Victorian police maintained that it was not a terror attack but would continue to investigate.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle.

The attack was an &quot;act of evil and an act of cowardice&quot;, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters here.

He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable.

The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car.

&quot;My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband&#39;s phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead,&quot; Kaul&#39;s wife told PTI.

&quot;We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital,&quot; she added.

Her husband suffered a tibia fracture and will undergo a surgery tomorrow. &quot;He is stable,&quot; she said.

&quot;The driver was waiting for the red light and when people started crossing the road, he jumped the red light and crashed into them,&quot; she said, adding that it was a &quot;deliberate act&quot;.

A pre-school child who suffered a head injury is not in a critical condition.

Acting Commissioner Shane Patton said that the police do not believe what happened is terror related but will continue to investigate.

He said police will allege the man &quot;intentionally drove into the pedestrians&quot;.

The driver of the car has been arrested and is receiving hospital treatment, Patton said.

The driver, identified as a 32-year-old of Afghan descent, was known to police in relation to minor traffic offences and a minor assault in 2010.

&quot;We believe he&#39;s driven down the tram tracks and he crashed into a tram-stop on the other side,&quot; Patton said.

A 24-year-old man was also detained at the scene after he was seen filming the incident on a phone. He was also carrying a bag that contained knives but police said it was probable that he had no links to the incident and say the driver was alone in the car, the Age reported.

The car was registered to a family member and police said was not stolen, it said.

Victoria police appealed to people to upload any images they might have of the incident to a cloud address to help assist with their probe.&nbsp;

An Indian was among 19 people injured when a speeding SUV ran down pedestrians at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne today, an incident described by Australia as "act of evil and an act of cowardice". A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time (0530 GMT), injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir. According to eyewitnesses, the car driver was waiting for the traffic signal to turn red before he drove his vehicle hitting pedestrians crossing the road. However, the Victorian police maintained that it was not a terror attack but would continue to investigate. Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle. The attack was an "act of evil and an act of cowardice", Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters here. He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable. The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car. "My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead," Kaul's wife told PTI. "We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital," she added. Her husband suffered a tibia fracture and will undergo a surgery tomorrow. "He is stable," she said. "The driver was waiting for the red light and when people started crossing the road, he jumped the red light and crashed into them," she said, adding that it was a "deliberate act". A pre-school child who suffered a head injury is not in a critical condition. Acting Commissioner Shane Patton said that the police do not believe what happened is terror related but will continue to investigate. He said police will allege the man "intentionally drove into the pedestrians". The driver of the car has been arrested and is receiving hospital treatment, Patton said. The driver, identified as a 32-year-old of Afghan descent, was known to police in relation to minor traffic offences and a minor assault in 2010. "We believe he's driven down the tram tracks and he crashed into a tram-stop on the other side," Patton said. A 24-year-old man was also detained at the scene after he was seen filming the incident on a phone. He was also carrying a bag that contained knives but police said it was probable that he had no links to the incident and say the driver was alone in the car, the Age reported. The car was registered to a family member and police said was not stolen, it said. Victoria police appealed to people to upload any images they might have of the incident to a cloud address to help assist with their probe.

Indian among 19 injured in Australia as car deliberately hits crowd

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Australia car ramming: 19 hurt; police say 'deliberate act' but not terror-related

Indian among 19 injured in Australia as car deliberately hits crowd