
The Afghan refugee accused of deliberately running over shoppers in Melbourne has been taken for police interrogation.

Saeed Noori hid his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he was driven from Melbourne Police Station to the Custody Centre below the city's Magistrates Court on Friday.

The 32-year-old spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after ploughing a white Suzuki Vitara into 17 pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station.

Speaking to investigators from his hospital bed, he made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'He also attributed some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Saeed Noori tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court

Detectives were not able to interview him due to his injuries from the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him

Detectives were not able to interview him earlier due to his injuries caused by the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him.

Patton said there were no signs in Norri's online activity that he planned the attack in advance, and that counter-terrorism specialists did not believe it was a terrorist attack.

He did not rule out terrorism but said: 'We haven't seen any warning signs that there was any threat of violence.'

Noori has a history of drug use and mental illness and reportedly suffered an addiction to ice, a highly purified form of methamphetamine which can cause depression and anxiety.

Investigators are still searching for a motive for Noori's alleged 'evil act' and hope a formal interview, likely followed by criminal charges, would shed some light.

The ice-addicted Afghan refugee accused of mowing down 17 pedestrians outside Melbourne's Flinder's Street Station has been transferred to a holding centre to be interrogated by police

The 32-year-old spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after crashing the white Suzuki Vitara into a tram stop bollard at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the Noori made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'

Police raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident.

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives.

'At this stage nothing has been found to indicate a linkage to extremism, a terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature,' police told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

Noori arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program, and had several run-ins with the law between 2008 and earlier this year.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park (pictured) in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives

'At this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or any, certainly any links to extremist groups.

'Therefore, the position I am advised off at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. I want to stress, there is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out, nothing should be ruled out.

'Now, whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.'

Noori's legal issues started with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabether Street

The missing bail charge was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.

Nineteen people were injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroically wrestled Noori from the car as other officers arrested him.

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabeth Street.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only three, including an 80-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.