British backpacker slain in ‘Allahu Akbar’ attack near Townsville, by Mark Schliebs.
The French man in custody over the stabbing death of a British backpacker at a north Queensland hostel had told friends that he had developed a crush on the woman in the days before Tuesday night’s knife attack on her and two men.
At least we get the name of “the Frenchman” now: Smail Ayad. Yesterday it was still being omitted from news “reports.”
A friend of Smail Ayad, who has not been charged over the death of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, said the 29-year-old called him on Sunday and told him about his interest in the British woman. …
Meanwhile, friends of British backpacker Tom Jackson, who was stabbed more than 20 times as he tried in vain to save Ms Ayliffe-Chung are praying he recovers.
Up to 30 terrified witnesses at the Shelley’s Home Hill hostel 100km south of Townsville watched as Mr Ayad, 29, who had been singing the French national anthem, burst in crying “God is great” in Arabic. …
Queensland Police Minister Bill Byrne described the stabbing attack as “tragic and disturbing” but sought to distance the incident from extremism. Despite police being unable to rule out radical links to the murder, Mr Byrne said the attacks were not “about race or religion”.
No direct links to ISIS, but that’s not the point. Robert Spencer, going just on yesterday’s news:
No, he wasn’t [acting alone]. Even if he was alone in this attack, he is part of the global jihad force. But since authorities refuse to believe that there is such a thing, they delude themselves with minutiae. He was acting alone. He wasn’t part of a group. As if there were no other Muslims like him. …
Yes, his motive is entirely unclear. As long as authorities continue to treat these jihad attacks as separate criminal acts with no necessary relationship to one another, instead of as incidents in a long war, we will continue to lose.
A political ideology of Muslim superiority enabled him to take out his frustration on non-Muslims in the currently approved manner … with a knife attack. Too great a coincidence to overlook.
The attacker: Smail Ayad
UPDATE: Delusional obsession allegedly behind frenzied stabbing by French backpacker, by Chris McMahon.
The victim who died: Mia Ayliffe-Chung (from her Facebook page)
Smail Ayad, 29, had fawned over Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, for several days, telling other backpackers at the Home Hill hostel the pair were deeply in love and married. …
Up to 30 backpackers witnessed the frenzied attack and tried desperately to intervene, although the Bulletin understands Ayad, a kickboxing champion who has trained in Thailand, allegedly made threats against them and stabbed a hostel employee in the leg. …
Yesterday afternoon as police transferred Ayad from hospital to the watchhouse, he allegedly bashed two police officers, after they had to pull over on Woolcock St as he was lashing out in the back of the police paddy wagon. Both officers were hospitalised. …
Police were forced to use capsicum spray on Ayad to subdue him and the Bulletin understands it took seven officers to get Ayad into a padded cell, as he continued to scream “Allahu Akbar”. …
