“Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said there was ‘zero evidence’ to suggest the attacks were terrorism related. Ibrahim had no criminal history and was estranged from the mother of his child.”

It may be that these attacks were not terrorism related. But the fact that Ibrahim had no criminal history establishes nothing. There was a point in every jihad terrorist’s life when he had no criminal history.

The fact that Ibrahim was estranged from the mother of his child also establishes nothing about whether or not his attacks were terrorism related. Many men are estranged from the mothers of their children and yet do not go on stabbing sprees of random people. Some men also are jihad terrorists and are simultaneously estranged from the mothers of their children.

“‘There’s nothing to indicate at this early stage that this is anything other than a random act of senseless violence,’ Mr Weir said.”

Maybe so. But the Islamic State issued this call in September 2014: “So O muwahhid, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons, and troops of the tawaghit. Strike their police, security, and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Destroy their beds. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves. If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be….If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.”

If that call or something like it had anything to do with Ibrahim’s actions, how would they look any different from a “random act of senseless violence”? He wouldn’t be carrying an ISIS membership card. He need not have had contact with any ISIS members to have heard about that call and decided to heed it.

“Police revealed Ibrahim spoke to them in 2018 about his concerns that IS operatives from Mildura were out to kill him. He wasn’t taken in for an assessment at the time but was flagged on the police system as potentially having a mental health issue.”

Maybe he does have a mental health issue. But the fact that he thought that the Islamic State was out to get him does not in itself prove that he is some “moderate” who would never undertake violent jihad himself.

Has the whole world lost the ability to think clearly? Will this incident be investigated properly, with examination of all contingencies? Almost certainly not.

“Killer in stabbing spree once claimed IS was out to get him,” by Paul Sakkal, Erin Pearson and Simone Fox Koob, The Age, March 12, 2020: