A 21-year-old British woman has died after she was attacked with a knife in front of 30 people at an Australian backpackers’ hostel. A 30-year-old British man was also severely injured in the attack, near Townsville, in Queensland. Police are investigating whether the alleged attacker, who has been arrested, was motivated by extremism. It is alleged the 29-year-old French suspect used an Arabic phrase during the attack, BBC reported. The stabbing took place at Shelley’s Backpackers in Home Hill—a small town popular among travelers looking to do agricultural work, such as fruit picking. It is located about 100 km southeast of the city of Townsville. The injured man remains in Townsville Base Hospital in a critical condition. A dog was also killed in the attack and a 46-year-old local man sustained minor injuries. Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the suspect was a visitor to Australia who had been in the country since around March on a temporary visa. He has no known local connections. Gollschewski said officers were “not ruling out any motivations at this early stage, whether they be political or criminal”.
