A homeless man who used a shopping trolley to fend off a knife-wielding terror attacker in Australia has been hailed a hero.

Michael Rogers, nicknamed “Trolley Man”, jumped into action as Hassan Khalif Shire Ali lunged at police in a busy shopping area in Melbourne. Footage posted to Twitter shows his valiant attempt to assist police in their capture as the attack unfolded during rush hour.

Donations totalling thousands of pounds have poured in for the 46-year-old rough sleeper after grateful members of the pubic started an online fundraiser for him.

"Our hero is humble as can be and had no idea about this fundraiser," the GoFundMe page reads. "He is amazing. We believe his efforts deserve a reward that can really help him out."

It adds: "He risked his own life that day for nothing in return and you can’t put a price on that."

The fundraiser, started by registered charity Melbourne Homeless Collective, has already raised more than A$125,000 (£69,000) for the brave bystander.

However, Mr Rogers insisted he was no hero but simply acted on instinct.

“I threw the trolley straight at him, and I got him. I didn't quite get him down, though. I'm no hero," he told Channel Seven.

Michael Rogers intervenes as Police attempt to capture a terror attacker in Melbourne (Twitter/@fayfayang)

“I did that motion quite a number of times and it just was not getting him down. The guy was out of control so I just went into action mode and tried to swipe him with the trolley."

Mr Rogers also told Age newspaper he had been on the wrong side of the law and had a long history of drug use.

He revealed that he had been "in and out of jail" for some 20 years, which including a five-year stint in prison for aggravated burglary.

Khalif Shire Ali, 31, was shot after confronting officers on the street, authorities said. He had already stabbed three people, one fatally, in the attack.

Melbourne knife attack Show all 9 1 /9 Melbourne knife attack Melbourne knife attack The body of the person stabbed to death during the attack lies underneath a white cover EPA Melbourne knife attack There was a huge police presence in Melbourne's city centre Reuters Melbourne knife attack Officers cordon off the scene AFP Melbourne knife attack Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton speaks to members of the media REUTERS Melbourne knife attack A screenshot of a video of the man attacking police officers with a knife EPA Melbourne knife attack Police in Melbourne shoot a man who was attacking them with a knife Twitter/@fayfayang Melbourne knife attack There was a huge police presence in Melbourne's city centre Reuters Melbourne knife attack The burned out shell of the knife attacker's car AFP Melbourne knife attack Bomb disposal experts were called after gas canisters were found in the car the attacker had set on fire Reuters

The owner of Pellegrini’s cafe on Bourke Street, Sisto Malaspina,74, was identified as the person who died from his stab wounds.

Police believe Somali-born Khalif Shire Ali was radicalised and inspired by Isis. Although his passport was cancelled in 2015 after he made plans to travel to Syria, he was not being actively monitored before the attack.

While Mr Rogers won praise from the community, Victorian Police commissioner Graham Ashton said his intervention could have had “tragic” consequences.

“I don't like to criticize people in that situation, he's acting instinctively about what he's looking at in front of him," he said.