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He has also been charged with animal cruelty in relation to killing a dog that belonged to the owners of Shelleys Backpackers, where he is alleged to have killed Ms Ayliffe-Chung late on Tuesday night.
The man has also been charged with 12 counts of assault, all of which stem from alleged violent incidents with police since his arrest.
Superintendent Ray Rohweder said the man would appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday via videolink, due to safety concerns his appearance in person may raise.
He continues to refuse to speak with investigators.
The charged man is alleged to have assaulted the officers who arrested him after Tuesday night’s bloody hostel attack, as well as those at Townsville police station.
However, police claim he was also violent in custody on Wednesday night as two detectives transported him from Townsville Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, to the city watch house.
He is alleged to have turned on the two detectives, biting one, and causing minor injuries to both.
The pair were forced to call for back-up from uniformed officers, who the French man is also alleged to have fought with.
The officers used capsicum spray and a taser to restrain him.
Supt Rohweder said he had been psychiatrically assessed in hospital.
Investigators are still awaiting the outcome of drug tests to determine if he was affected by an illicit substance when he allegedly stabbed Ms Ayliffe-Chung to death.
Ayad has also been charged with the attempted murders of another British backpacker, Tom Jackson, and the hostel caretaker, Grant Schulz, 46.
A motive for the attack is still to be established, however, Supt Rohweder said a terrorism link had been all but ruled out.
The charges come after it emerged Mr Jackson was stabbed in the eye, face and torso as he tried to protect Ms Ayliffe-Chung from her attacker at a north Queensland hostel on Tuesday night.
Mr Jackson has been praised for his heroism as he continues to fight for life in a Townsville hospital.
The 30-year-old was attacked when he attempted to hide fellow Brit Ms Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from a man who stabbed her multiple times on the hostel balcony late Tuesday night.
It has emerged Mr Jackson rushed Ms Ayliffe-Chung into a bathroom at Shelleys Backpackers in Home Hill, south of Townsville, in an unsuccessful bid to save her from her attacker.
But the man, believed to be French national Smail Ayad, 29, found the pair and allegedly stabbed Mr Jackson repeatedly with a kitchen knife.
Ms Ayliffe-Chung died of her injuries before paramedics arrived at the scene.
A friend of Mr Jackson’s told news.com.au his mate was “a legend” for trying to save the young woman’s life.
“It’s a tragedy. No words to describe what happened,” he said.
“He’s a legend. Wrong place, wrong time.”
According to The Guardian,
witnesses were roused from their beds about 11.15pm on Tuesday night by
Ms Ayliffe-Chung’s screams, when Ayad, armed with a kitchen knife,
allegedly hauled the 21-year-old onto a balcony, where he repeatedly
stabbed her.
Grant Schultz, 46, a caretaker at the hostel, was stabbed in the leg when he attempted to go to the young woman’s aid.
Ayad is then believed to have jumped from a nearby stairwell, before fatally stabbing a dog that belonged to one of the hostel owners.
Police claim he then returned his attention to Ms Ayliffe-Chung, who by this time, had sought refuge in a bathroom with Mr Jackson.
The French man then allegedly set upon the 30-year-old Brit, leaving him with critical injuries.
Though Ayad was heard to cry “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is the Greatest” — before allegedly fatally stabbing Ms Ayliffe-Chung, Superintendent Ray Rohweder said on Thursday police had all but dismissed the attack being terror-related.
The French man had reportedly developed a romantic obsession with the attractive young waitress and model, who had arrived the hostel to undertake three months of farm work just days before she died.
Mr Ayad is believed to have been there for about a month.
Supt
Rohweder said investigators were still working to determine what
sparked the events that caused Ms Ayliffe-Chung’s tragic death but that
witnesses had reported Ayad’s behaviour in the hours leading up to the
attack had been out of character.
Police will claim he had consumed cannabis prior to allegedly stabbing Ms Ayliffe-Chung to death and critically injuring Mr Jackson, but there was no evidence he had consumed alcohol or other drugs.
Supt Rohweder said interviews with witnesses left investigators in no doubt that any romantic feelings Ayad had towards Ms Ayliffe-Chung were not reciprocated.
“Certainly from Mia’s point of view, there was no romantic connection,” he said.
“I don’t believe there was any romance (between them), there’s no doubt about that.”
The French man has undergone psychiatric testing at Townsville Base Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries sustained in the attack.
Supt
Rohweder claimed the suspect launched a violent attack on two
detectives who were transferring him from the hospital to the police
station on Wednesday night, biting one and causing cuts and abrasions to
both.
The detectives had to call for back-up from uniformed police, who subdued him by tasering him.
Mr Jackson remains in a critical but stable condition in Townsville Base Hospital, nearly 36 hours after the attack.
He has not yet been able to tell police what happened.
His family is en route from the United Kingdom to be with him, Supt Rohweder said.
Shocked friends posted well wishes to him on Facebook, as the news of the attack came through.
“Tom Jackson was a very close friend and one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Now Tom I need you too stay strong and beat this for yourself and all of your friends and family who love you,” wrote Samantha Harrison.
“Still badly in shock this all actually happened in our hostel literally 3 doors away from my room,” wrote Jack Cooper.
“Absolutely devastated about the loss of beautiful Mia, 20 years old and her life taken.
“All of us here are praying for our mate Jackson stay strong mate and dig deep.”
Tributes have flowed for the popular young waitress on social media in the wake of her death.
A crime scene remains in place at Shelleys Backpackers, as forensic police continue to examine the area for clues.
Extra police are expected to travel from Brisbane to assist with the investigation, with at least 30 witnesses who were at the hostel needing to be interviewed.
A MAN accused of the violent
stabbing murder of a young British backpacker in north Queensland has
allegedly turned on police since his arrest, even biting one detective
who tried to restrain him.
A man believed to be
French national Smail Ayad, 29, was charged with the murder of Mia
Ayliffe-Chung, along with the attempted murder of two others, on
Thursday afternoon.He has also been charged with animal cruelty in relation to killing a dog that belonged to the owners of Shelleys Backpackers, where he is alleged to have killed Ms Ayliffe-Chung late on Tuesday night.
The man has also been charged with 12 counts of assault, all of which stem from alleged violent incidents with police since his arrest.
Superintendent Ray Rohweder said the man would appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday via videolink, due to safety concerns his appearance in person may raise.
He continues to refuse to speak with investigators.
The charged man is alleged to have assaulted the officers who arrested him after Tuesday night’s bloody hostel attack, as well as those at Townsville police station.
However, police claim he was also violent in custody on Wednesday night as two detectives transported him from Townsville Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, to the city watch house.
He is alleged to have turned on the two detectives, biting one, and causing minor injuries to both.
The pair were forced to call for back-up from uniformed officers, who the French man is also alleged to have fought with.
The officers used capsicum spray and a taser to restrain him.
Supt Rohweder said he had been psychiatrically assessed in hospital.
Investigators are still awaiting the outcome of drug tests to determine if he was affected by an illicit substance when he allegedly stabbed Ms Ayliffe-Chung to death.
Ayad has also been charged with the attempted murders of another British backpacker, Tom Jackson, and the hostel caretaker, Grant Schulz, 46.
A motive for the attack is still to be established, however, Supt Rohweder said a terrorism link had been all but ruled out.
The charges come after it emerged Mr Jackson was stabbed in the eye, face and torso as he tried to protect Ms Ayliffe-Chung from her attacker at a north Queensland hostel on Tuesday night.
Mr Jackson has been praised for his heroism as he continues to fight for life in a Townsville hospital.
The 30-year-old was attacked when he attempted to hide fellow Brit Ms Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from a man who stabbed her multiple times on the hostel balcony late Tuesday night.
It has emerged Mr Jackson rushed Ms Ayliffe-Chung into a bathroom at Shelleys Backpackers in Home Hill, south of Townsville, in an unsuccessful bid to save her from her attacker.
But the man, believed to be French national Smail Ayad, 29, found the pair and allegedly stabbed Mr Jackson repeatedly with a kitchen knife.
Ms Ayliffe-Chung died of her injuries before paramedics arrived at the scene.
A friend of Mr Jackson’s told news.com.au his mate was “a legend” for trying to save the young woman’s life.
“It’s a tragedy. No words to describe what happened,” he said.
“He’s a legend. Wrong place, wrong time.”
Tom Jackson, pictured with a friend, continues to fight for life in Townsville Hospital.Source:Facebook
Grant Schultz, 46, a caretaker at the hostel, was stabbed in the leg when he attempted to go to the young woman’s aid.
Ayad is then believed to have jumped from a nearby stairwell, before fatally stabbing a dog that belonged to one of the hostel owners.
Police claim he then returned his attention to Ms Ayliffe-Chung, who by this time, had sought refuge in a bathroom with Mr Jackson.
Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, died of multiple stab wounds.Source:AAP
Though Ayad was heard to cry “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is the Greatest” — before allegedly fatally stabbing Ms Ayliffe-Chung, Superintendent Ray Rohweder said on Thursday police had all but dismissed the attack being terror-related.
The French man had reportedly developed a romantic obsession with the attractive young waitress and model, who had arrived the hostel to undertake three months of farm work just days before she died.
Mr Ayad is believed to have been there for about a month.
Smail Ayad, 29, is in police custody after the attack.Source:News Corp Australia
Police will claim he had consumed cannabis prior to allegedly stabbing Ms Ayliffe-Chung to death and critically injuring Mr Jackson, but there was no evidence he had consumed alcohol or other drugs.
Supt Rohweder said interviews with witnesses left investigators in no doubt that any romantic feelings Ayad had towards Ms Ayliffe-Chung were not reciprocated.
“Certainly from Mia’s point of view, there was no romantic connection,” he said.
“I don’t believe there was any romance (between them), there’s no doubt about that.”
The French man has undergone psychiatric testing at Townsville Base Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries sustained in the attack.
Shelleys Backpackers in Home Hill, were the stabbings occurred.Source:News Corp Australia
The detectives had to call for back-up from uniformed police, who subdued him by tasering him.
Mr Jackson remains in a critical but stable condition in Townsville Base Hospital, nearly 36 hours after the attack.
He has not yet been able to tell police what happened.
His family is en route from the United Kingdom to be with him, Supt Rohweder said.
A tribute left for Ms Auliffe-Chung on the hostel fence.Source:News Corp Australia
“Tom Jackson was a very close friend and one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Now Tom I need you too stay strong and beat this for yourself and all of your friends and family who love you,” wrote Samantha Harrison.
“Still badly in shock this all actually happened in our hostel literally 3 doors away from my room,” wrote Jack Cooper.
“Absolutely devastated about the loss of beautiful Mia, 20 years old and her life taken.
“All of us here are praying for our mate Jackson stay strong mate and dig deep.”
Tributes have flowed for the popular young waitress on social media in the wake of her death.
A crime scene remains in place at Shelleys Backpackers, as forensic police continue to examine the area for clues.
Extra police are expected to travel from Brisbane to assist with the investigation, with at least 30 witnesses who were at the hostel needing to be interviewed.
Do you know more? Email kim.stephens@news.com.au
What kind of treatment IS activists and sympathizers need is a question worth pondering. Theirs seems to be a madness that has no method to it. If they are fighting for Islam, why should they be the very antithesis of everything that Islam is? The prophet had indeed fought battles. But historians note that the fatalities in all his battles together were less than a thousand. His magnanimity in the aftermath of battles was so exemplary that many of his prisoners of war chose to return to his fold even after they were released. He entered Mecca, the city that had thirsted for his blood and hounded him out, a decade after being forced out of there, as a conqueror without letting an ounce of blood to be spilt. And to boot, he forbade his men even from claiming the encroached houses and properties they had been forced to leave behind in the city of their birth.
When his followers extended the domain of Islam after his death, they did not exactly follow his model of tolerance, but as the famous French Christian historian Amin Malouf pointed out, largely abstained from gratuitous violence. The example of the great Saladin (Salahuddin Ayyoubi) has been legendary. When his enemy commander King Richard lost his horse during the combat, Saladin immediately sent him a horse saying that a king like him should not be fighting on foot. When the English king fell ill, he sent his personal physician to treat him. In the aftermath of the Jerusalem victory, he was so magnanimous that he made it a point to make the city a true cosmopolitan centre by allowing Christians, Jews and Muslim to settle there on equitable terms. In gratitude many Christians chose to call their newborn sons Saladin.
More than on their individual victims, IS is now inflicting an irreparable damage on this tradition. It is in this context that the disappearance of a few Keralite families allegedly to join IS becomes a worrying development. As yet there has been no confirmation of these reports and there are speculations that their port of call is actually Yemen and not Syria. If the latter is true, it would mean less alarm and a little less concern for leaders of Muslim community.
The rulers too have an added responsibility. More than at any point of time, Indian Muslims are now feeling besieged and beleaguered. Questions are being raised from quarters close to the ruling hierarchy about their belongingness and right to exist. As Bobby S Said put it in a similar but different context their very ontology is being challenged by a hauntology. The talk of a Muslim-free India by the likes of Sadhvi Prachi is a grim instance of this. Increasingly, minorities feel like being deprived of not only democratic spaces of protest and articulation but even air pockets to breathe. The government stance on Aligarh and the witch hunt against Zakir Naik are stark reminders of this.
