'Not many friends': Ex-classmates open up about Sydney stabbing suspect
A 21-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a woman to death in an apartment before embarking on an alleged stabbing rampage in Sydney’s CBD has been described as an “odd” loner by former classmates.
Mert Ney is expected to be charged after he allegedly killed a woman in an apartment before he went on a stabbing rampage.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Ney, from Marayang near Blacktown, was expected to be charged with murder as well as serious assault after he allegedly unleashed "terrifying carnage" in the city on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Fuller says the rampage was "not currently classed as a terrorist incident" by authorities and the "lone actor" had no links to terrorist organisations.
It is alleged the 21-year-old did, however, have "some ideologies in relation to terrorism" and the Joint Counter Terrorism Team will examine if the threat needs to be reassessed.
"There was certainly information found on him about other crimes of mass casualties and mass deaths around the world," Mr Fuller said, adding the material was discovered on a USB drive.
Suspect described as loner at school
Former pupils at Blacktown Boys High School which Ney attended described him as “a bit weird”.
“He just had a vibe, he was just an odd person – he didn't have many friends,” one anonymous school friend told the Daily Mail.
Another said he had posted to converting to Islam on Facebook but never thought he’d “go this far”.
Ney allegedly stabbed a 41-year-old woman in the back at the Hotel CBD and then tried to stab countless others as he wandered the streets before being detained near Wynyard station.
The woman is in a stable condition in hospital.
The body of a 21-year-old woman was subsequently discovered at a Clarence Street apartment with Comm Fuller stating the homicide and stabbing were linked.
Comm Fuller said the suspect was at the apartment for "business purposes". It's been reported the 21-year-old victim was a sex worker.
Video footage shows a man, who was armed with a large butcher's knife, yelling "Allahu Akbar" while wandering the CBD.
The Marayong man, who has spent the night under police guard in hospital, had a history of mental health issues.
Mental health questions raised
Comm Fuller was asked about reports Ney may have absconded from a mental health facility before "breaking" on Tuesday.
"If I was forced to make a call... the evidence all points to that," he replied.
Three members of the public who gave chase and detained the attacker using chairs and a milk crate were described by the commissioner as "highest order heroes".
Superintendent Gavin Wood said the men's intervention had stopped other people from being hurt and described them as "significantly brave".
Mr Fuller said while police weren't looking for any other offenders they couldn't discount coming across other crime scenes as the investigation continues.
With AAP
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