This Shouldn’t Happen in Australia: ‘Allahu Akbar’ Stabbing Incident Leaves Locals on Edge

Accountant Vince Squillace says he now has to “think twice” before going to some places in his local neighbourhood after a man shouting “Allahu Akbar” stabbed a person in the chest and neck.

The incident at Melbourne’s Moonee Ponds Central shopping centres continues a string of incidents across the city which authorities have struggled to stem.

On July 17, a 44-year-old Essendon resident, who works the centre, spotted a 55-year-old knife wielding individual on Homer Street at 4.35 p.m.

After confronting the man with the knife, the worker was allegedly stabbed in the chest and neck.

The alleged offender yelled out “Allahu Akbar,” which is Arabic for “God is great,” police said.

Acting Inspector Raj Tillekeratne said Victoria’s counter-terrorism command had been contacted, and police had “nothing to indicate that this is either religiously or politically motivated.”

He added the police were treating it as “random, isolated offending.”

Also in another, separate incident in Moonee Ponds, a knife-wielding man was seen banging on the window of a cafe as customers barricaded themselves inside.

A citizen charged the alleged attacker with a chair, knocking him to the ground and disarming him outside Lil Kitch cafe on Puckle St.

Both incidents played out just over an hour apart, at 3.30pm and 4.35pm.

Thinking Twice About Personal Safety

Squillace, who works at Robert Squillace and Associates on Hall St, said he didn’t have safety concerns until “probably the last 12 months or so.”

“There’s a rear access to the lane that goes to Coles, and that’s dark at night. I have to think twice about using that now,” he told The Epoch Times.

“It’s dark, and after all these things have happened, you have to think twice about accessing those sort of areas.

“That shouldn’t be the case in Australia.”

Squillace said reports of the man with the knife yelling “Allahu Akbar” were concerning.

“That’s pretty scary because it translates to ‘God is great,’ and it’s used by people when they’re about to attack an infidel or a non-believer,” he said.

“But I take that with a grain of salt. The guy was on the ground. Maybe he was saying it for himself and he thought he was going to die.

The incident has also sparked questions about migration and integration from recent Victorian One Nation candidate Bianca Colecchia, who has also been a critic of strong progressive-leaning ideology in university content.

“When are we going to stop claiming that all cultures are equal? While people from all different backgrounds commit violent acts, I don’t see any other group shouting their religious chants while committing crimes,” she wrote on social media.

The Epoch Times contacted Victoria Police for comment, and was issued the following.

“Victoria Police is on track to remove a record number of illegal blades, machetes, and zombie knives from the community this year,” the spokesperson said.

“By mid-June, police had already seized 7,500 edged weapons, which equates to an average of 44 every day.

“This is on pace to surpass the previous record, when Victoria Police seized and destroyed 14,805 edged weapons in 2024—an average of 40 per day.”

The spokesperson added many of these weapons were seized from residential addresses during targeted search warrants on known offenders.

“While youth gangs are only involved in less than 15 percent of all stabbings, we know these people are those most likely to be carrying and using knives in public,” the spokesperson said.

“That’s why they continue to be given no room to move, with officers from Operation Alliance conducting regular bail compliance checks, search warrants, vehicle intercepts, and patrols where they hang out.”

The Epoch Times also contacted the office of Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines for comment.

In March, the Allan Labor government passed its Tough Bail Laws Bill, to create the “toughest bail laws ever” in response to ongoing violent incidents.

“Right now, under section 3B of the Bail Act, an accused youth offender is remanded (detained in custody) only as a ‘last resort.’

“The Tough Bail Laws will remove the principle of remand as last resort.”

Incidents Occurring Daily: Squillace

Squillace cautioned that incidents on the ground were occurring daily.

“We actually see [shoplifting] because where we have coffee outside the Moonee Ponds Central District; you see people walking out and being apprehended, or security trying to apprehend them every second day,” he said.

“And if they’re meek and timid, they probably surrender the goods. But if they’re aggressive, they’re just allowed to walk away.

“Something’s got to be done at state level regarding making harder regulations on easy bail, particularly when they use instruments like guns or knives or machetes.”

Newly-released Victorian crime rate statistics show a 13.2 percent rise in crime on last year, the worst it has been since 2016.