Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday, December 22, that no terrorism link had been identified after a man drove an SUV into pedestrians near Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Victoria, the day before.

The prime minister said three out of the 19 people injured remained in a critical condition. The Australian government was working with consular officials from the respective countries of the nine victims who were foreign nationals.

Turnbull confirmed the car was driven by a 32-year-old Australian citizen who emigrated from Afghanistan through a refugee settlement program. He had a history of mental illness and drug abuse and had made “utterings” attributing his actions to “perceived mistreatment of Muslims.”

Describing the incident as a “despicable and cowardly act”, the Prime Minister said it was an “isolated incident” and that the offender had no known links to extremist groups. He praised the courage of an off-duty police officer who pulled the driver from the car in the moments after the attack, “without any consideration for his own life, for his own safety.”

Turnbull urged Australians to continue about their daily business without fear. “We are not going to be cowed or intimidated by cowardly acts by individuals who seek to do us harm in public spaces like this,” he said. Credit: Office of the Prime Minister of Australia via Storyful