Sydney man fought off alleged attacker with piece of wood after finding 'bloodied' grandfather screaming for help
A Western Sydney man used a piece of wood to stop an alleged terror attack on Saturday afternoon, after finding a bloodied and battered grandfather screaming for help.
Wayne Greenhalgh, 59, was stabbed with a large hunting knife repeatedly in the body, neck and hands.
Police will claim 22-year-old Ihsas Khan wanted to kill someone and that Mr Greenhalgh was ’the perfect target,’ The Daily Telegraph reports.
Resident Sivei Ah Chong, 43, hit Khan with a piece of wood in an attempt to stop the alleged attack on Mr Greenhalgh.
Mr Ah Chong was with his son Derek at the time.
“My dad has yelled at me to grab something from the garage and the closest thing I could find was the broomstick, so I have grabbed that and then my dad has chased the attacker and cut him off from Wayne,” Derek told the Daily Telegraph.
“My dad kept saying to him, ‘Drop the knife or I will hit you’ and he just said, ‘Do it, I want you to do it’.”
Mr Ah Chong then reportedly smashed the alleged attacker in the back of the head with the piece of wood, an action that left him ‘dazed’.
The Australian reports Khan had told police he was inspired by the shooting death of NSW police employee Curtis Cheng and wanted to make a ‘martyr of himself’.
It’s believed Khan told police his role mode was Farhad Jabar, the teen who killed the police accountant in 2015.
The attack came one week after Islamic State called for ‘lone wolf’ attacks on major tourist attractions in Australia such as Bondi Beach, Sydney Opera House and the MCG.
The Daily Telegraph reported Mr Greenhalgh, who was walking his dog at a park in Minto at the time, was allegedly targeted because he ‘embodied Australian culture’.
7 News understands neighbours had contacted the anti-terrorism hotline about Khan in the past.
Mr Greenhalgh was treated by paramedics at the scene before he was rushed to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition.
He underwent surgery on Sunday night.
Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn has said police will allege the attack was inspired by ISIS.
'We will allege that he set out to do something yesterday, how long he had been planning this, we don't know.
'This is the new face of terrorism, this is the new face of what we deal with.”
Khan was refused bail in court on Sunday, he has been charged with committing a terrorist act and attempted murder.
It’s expected he will appear in Sydney’s Central Court on Wednesday.
