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

Cricket Australia (CA) has recovered thousands of scalped tickets for the third Ashes test against England in Perth, the governing body said on Wednesday.

The 2,890 tickets were &quot;identified as linked to scalped tickets being sold at a premium&quot; on online market place eBay, CA said in a statement.

The tickets for the Dec. 14-18 Test at the WACA will go back on sale on August&nbsp;28.

The five-Test Ashes series against current holders England is one of Australia&#39;s most well-attended sporting events. The first Test starts in Brisbane on November&nbsp;23.

The 2,890 tickets were "identified as linked to scalped tickets being sold at a premium" on online market place eBay

Cricket Australia (CA) has recovered thousands of scalped tickets for the third Ashes test against England in Perth, the governing body said on Wednesday. The 2,890 tickets were "identified as linked to scalped tickets being sold at a premium" on online market place eBay, CA said in a statement. The tickets for the Dec. 14-18 Test at the WACA will go back on sale on August 28. The five-Test Ashes series against current holders England is one of Australia's most well-attended sporting events. The first Test starts in Brisbane on November 23.

Ashes tickets resold online at a premium, recovered by Cricket Australia

Australian cyclist Shane Perkins has been given the green light to attain Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, paving the way for the twice world champion to represent his new country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year&#39;s Rio Games.

&quot;The President resolved to grant Russian Federation citizenship to Shane Alan Perkins,&quot; the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. 
Perkins posted a picture of himself on Twitter wearing Russia colours on his bike and wrote: &quot;I&#39;m the most excited guy in the world right now! I can make my dreams come true!&quot;

Perkins, a good friend of Russia&#39;s reigning world champion sprinter Denis Dmitriev, who took bronze in the sprint at Rio, began seriously considering defecting less than a year ago, frustrated at being shut out of Australia&#39;s high performance programme, he told local media.

Perkins&#39; father Daryl, a former national champion, raced in the now defunct tandem sprint with Ian Browne at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They were beaten by the silver medal-winning Soviet Union pair of Imants Bodnieks and Viktor Logunov in the quarter-finals.

Australia has granted citizenship to a number of top Russian athletes over the years, including women&#39;s tennis player Daria Gavrilova, the world number 26, and former European champion speed skater Tatiana Borodulina.

The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year's Rio Games.

Australian cyclist Shane Perkins has been given the green light to attain Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, paving the way for the twice world champion to represent his new country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year's Rio Games. "The President resolved to grant Russian Federation citizenship to Shane Alan Perkins," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. Perkins posted a picture of himself on Twitter wearing Russia colours on his bike and wrote: "I'm the most excited guy in the world right now! I can make my dreams come true!" Perkins, a good friend of Russia's reigning world champion sprinter Denis Dmitriev, who took bronze in the sprint at Rio, began seriously considering defecting less than a year ago, frustrated at being shut out of Australia's high performance programme, he told local media. Perkins' father Daryl, a former national champion, raced in the now defunct tandem sprint with Ian Browne at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They were beaten by the silver medal-winning Soviet Union pair of Imants Bodnieks and Viktor Logunov in the quarter-finals. Australia has granted citizenship to a number of top Russian athletes over the years, including women's tennis player Daria Gavrilova, the world number 26, and former European champion speed skater Tatiana Borodulina.

Cyclist Perkins gets nod from Putin for Russia switch

A light aircraft exploded Tuesday in a &quot;massive fireball&quot; with police saying none of the five people aboard survived as it smashed into a shopping centre near the Australian city of Melbourne.

The Beechcraft plane veered just after take-off into the shopping centre, that was still closed, next to Essendon Fields airport.

&quot;Five on the aircraft and looks like no-one has survived the crash,&quot; said Victoria police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane.

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<h5>Live television footage showed burned out wreckage, flames and major damage at the shopping centre and adjacent buildings</h5>
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Victoria premier Daniel Andrews described it as the state&#39;s worst air accident in three decades.

The private charter from Essendon, north of Melbourne, to King Island, 55 minutes to the south, came down just short of a major motorway packed with the heavy traffic of early morning commuters.

Live television footage showed burned out wreckage, flames and major damage at the shopping centre and adjacent buildings.

A column of thick black smoke rose into the air as witnesses spoke of an explosion.

&quot;It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) at Essendon Fields,&quot; police minister Lisa Neville said.

The centre was not due to open for another hour and the authorities confirmed no one inside was hurt.

&quot;There&#39;s also debris that&#39;s been left on the freeway,&quot; she added.

A taxi driver called ABC radio and told of the &quot;massive fireball&quot;.

&quot;I saw this plane ... when it hit the building there was a massive fireball,&quot; said the man called Jason.

&quot;I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel -- it looked like a plane wheel -- bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along.&quot;

Victoria police superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations centred on a &quot;catastrophic engine failure&quot;.

The flight made a May-Day call before crashing, he added.

A DFO shopworker identified as Ash told Sky News he saw &quot;the fireball go up into the air&quot;, adding it &quot;felt like a bomb had gone off&quot;.

&quot;The fire was just so hot we could not get anywhere near it,&quot; he said. &quot;We could see the wreckage, or what was left of it.

Plumber Michael Howard, 29, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he saw a &quot;blue flash&quot;.

&quot;I was ... just looking out the window ... and then all of a sudden I just saw a blue flash come down and then all of a sudden there was a massive fireball.&quot;

&quot;It was like something from a movie,&quot; Howard said.

Melbourne fire brigade chief Paul Stacchino tweeted that &quot;more than 60 firefighters have worked hard to bring the fire ... under control. Crews to remain on scene for some time&quot;.

The Australian Safety Transport Bureau said it had sent investigators to the scene.

Essendon Fields had been closed and all traffic diverted to Melbourne&#39;s two larger airports Tullamarine and Avalon.

One side of a major freeway which runs alongside the local airport remained shut to allow wreckage to be cleared.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

All five casualties were on board the plane

A light aircraft exploded Tuesday in a "massive fireball" with police saying none of the five people aboard survived as it smashed into a shopping centre near the Australian city of Melbourne. The Beechcraft plane veered just after take-off into the shopping centre, that was still closed, next to Essendon Fields airport. "Five on the aircraft and looks like no-one has survived the crash," said Victoria police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane. Live television footage showed burned out wreckage, flames and major damage at the shopping centre and adjacent buildings × Victoria premier Daniel Andrews described it as the state's worst air accident in three decades. The private charter from Essendon, north of Melbourne, to King Island, 55 minutes to the south, came down just short of a major motorway packed with the heavy traffic of early morning commuters. Live television footage showed burned out wreckage, flames and major damage at the shopping centre and adjacent buildings. A column of thick black smoke rose into the air as witnesses spoke of an explosion. "It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) at Essendon Fields," police minister Lisa Neville said. The centre was not due to open for another hour and the authorities confirmed no one inside was hurt. "There's also debris that's been left on the freeway," she added. A taxi driver called ABC radio and told of the "massive fireball". "I saw this plane ... when it hit the building there was a massive fireball," said the man called Jason. "I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel -- it looked like a plane wheel -- bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along." Victoria police superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations centred on a "catastrophic engine failure". The flight made a May-Day call before crashing, he added. A DFO shopworker identified as Ash told Sky News he saw "the fireball go up into the air", adding it "felt like a bomb had gone off". "The fire was just so hot we could not get anywhere near it," he said. "We could see the wreckage, or what was left of it. Plumber Michael Howard, 29, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he saw a "blue flash". "I was ... just looking out the window ... and then all of a sudden I just saw a blue flash come down and then all of a sudden there was a massive fireball." "It was like something from a movie," Howard said. Melbourne fire brigade chief Paul Stacchino tweeted that "more than 60 firefighters have worked hard to bring the fire ... under control. Crews to remain on scene for some time". The Australian Safety Transport Bureau said it had sent investigators to the scene. Essendon Fields had been closed and all traffic diverted to Melbourne's two larger airports Tullamarine and Avalon. One side of a major freeway which runs alongside the local airport remained shut to allow wreckage to be cleared. (AFP)

Five dead after light plane crashes into shopping centre near Melbourne

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