2016 Minto stabbing attack

Attack

The offender, Ihsas Khan, repeatedly stabbed his neighbour Wayne Greenhalgh who was walking his dog. Police were already aware that Khan had, "strong extremists beliefs inspired by ISIS."[3] However, he was not on any active watch lists and authorities described his past behaviour as more "odd" than threatening.[4]

Investigators believe that Khan lay in wait for Greenhalgh to walk his dog, whereupon Khan chased and attacked Greenhalgh, who fled into the home and attached hairdresser's shop of Duyen Phan. Khan tried to enter the property by smashing through a glass door while shouting “You killed my brothers and sisters in Iraq,’’ and "Allahu Akbar".[5]

Another neighbour, Sivei Ah Chong, repeatedly shouted at Khan to drop the knife, and eventually hit Khan's head with a piece of wood. Khan then fled down the street, yelling "Call the police, call the police, I want them to come and shoot me, I want to die today" and attempted to attack a responding police officer before being subdued with tasers and arrested.[5]

Perpetrator

Khan's neighbours described him as a man who kept to himself, but was seen walking in the middle of the road on multiple occasions prior to the attack and seen talking to himself. He told investigators that the perpetrator of the 2015 Parramatta shooting was his "role model."[5]

Context

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull noted that the attack took place on the eve of the September 11 attacks. Deputy Police Commissioner Cath Burn, noting that the attack came a week after ISIS had called on supporters in Australia to undertake lone wolf terror attacks, described this attack as “The new face of terrorism."[4]

The victim

Greenhalgh, aged 57, suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.[6][3] He sustained stab wounds to the abdomen, chest and neck, and lost several fingers, but survived.[1]

Ihsas Khan, 22, was born in 1993 shortly after his parents migrated from Bangladesh.[7] He was charged with attempted murder and with committing a terrorist act, the case was adjourned until March 2017.[4][8] Investigators "recorded interview with the accused where he makes extensive admissions."[8] Khan defended his actions on the basis that he was not guilty by reason of mental illness.

Khan was initially prosecuted in May 2018, but the jury was discharged twice. The Crown Prosecutor in the initial proceedings was Peter Neil, SC, with Khan represented by Senior Public Defender, now NSW Supreme Court justice, Mark Ierace, SC. Khan faced a further hearing in January 2019. The Crown was represented by Carolyn Davenport, SC and Khan was presented by Public Defender, Troy Anderson. Troy Anderson is the author of the Federation Press published book, Commonwealth Criminal Law. This trial ended with a hung jury. Khan was tried for a third time in March 2019, with the Crown replacing Davenport in favour of Paul McGuire, SC. The third trial resulted in Khan's conviction and sentence of 36 years imprisonment, with a non parole period of 27 years.[9]

Impact

The Minto stabbing was one of the incidents alleged by United States President Donald Trump to have been terror attacks which had gone "unreported", despite it having received significant media coverage both in Australia and internationally.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. Banks, Laura (12 September 2016). "Minto terror attack: Islamic radical Ihsas Khan had a plan to 'kill an Aussie', police will allege". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  2. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-14/man-charged-with-committing-sydney-act-of-terrorism-refused-bail/7843188
  3. McKirdy, Euan (12 September 2016). "Man arrested in Sydney for 'ISIS-inspired' attack". CNN. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. Gleeson, Ashleigh (11 September 2016). "Minto stabbing: Man charged with Sydney terror attack and attempted murder". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  5. Meley, Paul (12 September 2016). "Lone-wolf terror suspect 'inspired' by Curtis Cheng killing". The Australian. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  6. Mitchell, Georgina (19 September 2016). "Wayne Greenhalgh speaks about 'frightening' Minto stabbing ordeal for first time". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. Griffiths, Meredith (30 April 2018). "Sydney terrorism accused Ihsas Khan wanted police to kill him, court hears". ABC. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  8. Vernon, Jackson (24 November 2016). "Terrorism-inspired stabbing: Ihsas Khan made 'extensive admissions' to police, court hears". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  9. Scheikowski, Margaret (5 June 2019). "Ihsas Khan: Minto stabbing terror attacker jailed". News.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  10. McClellan, Ben (7 February 2017). "Donald Trump: White House lists 'unreported Australian terror attacks'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/us-politics/donald-trump-slips-up-on-aussie-attack/news-story/90df90112ed60ca2d59308d99ebe4629
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