>Melbourne stabbing attack was ‘terrorism incident’, police say, as Islamic State claims it
>POLICE have surrounded a [Werribee] house linked to Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, the man behind yesterday’s Melbourne terror attack.
>November 10, 201810:07am
Victoria Police have identified the Bourke Street knifeman as Hassan Khalif Shire Ali.
The 30-year-old Somali-born attacker, from Melbourne’s northwestern suburbs, died in hospital last night after being shot in the chest by police.
Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said Shire Ali was known to counter-terrorism authorities, both “at the national level” and to the state police.
“We’re certainly confident it was a terrorist attack and that’s the way we’ve been treating it overnight,” he told The Today Show this morning. “He’s pulled up in a car with gas cylinders. It looks like he’s attempted to ignite a fire in the car… we believe with a view to ignite these canisters with some kind of explosion, but that didn’t eventuate.
“Then he’s gotten out of the car, we allege with an attempt to cause serious harm to the public.”
He said Shire Ali has a prior criminal history in relation to driving offences, theft and previous cannabis use.
Shire Ali is the brother of accused terrorist Ali Khalif Shire Ali, 21, who allegedly plotted a large-scale attack at Federation Square on New Year’s Eve, according to The Herald Sun.