Ibrahim had no criminal history and was estranged from the mother of his child. Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said the attacks were random and the motive unclear. "There's nothing to suggest any of the people involved – be it the deceased, injured people or the offender – are known to each other," he said. "There’s nothing to indicate at this early stage that this is anything other than a random act of senseless violence." Police revealed Ibrahim spoke to them in 2018 about his concerns that ISIS 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.

Police are now searching his home, his computer and phone, and talking to his family and friends to ascertain a motive. They are also gathering CCTV to trace his movements prior to the attacks. The scene at Coppin Grove in Hawthorn where two women were stabbed, one fatally. Credit:Jason South How the stabbing rampage unfolded The horror rampage started about 11pm on Wednesday. Ibrahim was noticed by two PSOs at Jolimont station when he made a "loud noise or yell" at the end of the platform. They went up to him and asked if he needed help with directions.

They had a short conversation before the offender slashed one of them with a kitchen knife on the cheek and arm. The PSO is in a stable condition and was due to have surgery on Thursday. Police said the man then ran through Yarra Park and police are trying to establish whether he boarded a train at Richmond train station, or got on a tram near Punt Road. Shortly after, two women were arriving at their Hawthorn home on Coppin Grove when the man approached them. He spoke briefly to the pair before attacking themwith a knife. One woman, 30, died at the scene. The other woman, 31, screamed, alerting neighbours who called police, but the man had already fled towards Kew. The surviving woman was taken to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition. Her condition improved during the day and she was stable by the afternoon. Residents told The Age of their shock at waking to the sound of ambulances and a police helicopter hovering overhead shortly before midnight.

Helen Hounslow said she heard a car horn before a police dog began running through her yard. "There was flashlights through our windows and I looked out the window and all of a sudden you see police officers with a German shepherd going down and jumping the fence and stalking the house," she said. Forensic police inspect the scene in Walpole Street, Kew, where police found the attacker. Credit:Jason South Soon after, Ibrahim approached a 59-year-old man walking along Cotham Road in Kew. Similar to his attack on the PSO, Ibrahim struck up a brief conversation with the 59-year-old man before pulling out a knife.

The victim staggered to a nearby tram stop where he dialled triple zero himself, which police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton described as a "very brave act". "He made the call because obviously he is worried about the community more than himself. He is worried about what else this guy is going to do," Mr Ashton said. "I think it's a tremendously brave act." Paramedics attempted CPR on the victim but he could not be saved. Attacker shot dead Police found Ibrahim walking on nearby Walpole Street a short time later and used a Taser and a number of other non-lethal options to try to subdue him, before he was shot on Walton Street.

"He was called on to surrender by police and refused to do so," Mr Weir said. "The ball was in his court. He's made the decision and our members have acted accordingly, in my view. "We just heard three shots, there wasn't much noise," resident Jan said. "I was half asleep ... I'm a little bit nervous but these things happen." Forensic police inspect the scene in Walpole Street, Kew. Credit:Jason South Georgia Sassi, 21, said she was about to fall asleep when she woke to aggressive shouting by what sounded like several men.

"It got heated very quickly ... Then I heard a police officer say 'put your hands up', then three loud gunshots," she said. "It was so scary. It sounded so close to my window that it could have been in my backyard. Countless times I've come home at that time and it could have been anyone out there." Jolimont train station was closed on Thursday and crime scenes were set up on several streets in Kew and Hawthorn. Cotham Road in Kew remains closed in both directions between High Street and Glenferrie Road. Two men who lived in the same unit block as the two woman attacked overnight return to the scene. Credit:Jason South On Coppin Grove, two men, believed to have witnessed part of the incident, returned to the crime scene late on Thursday morning.

The two residents, one wrapped in a medical blanket and both barefoot, were comforted on the street by police before being escorted into a nearby property. Tarpaulins were used to cover bloodied items left strewn across the grass next to the women's black Mazda sedan. Mr Ashton said police talk to many people over the counter every day and there was no concern the attacker was presenting "any kind of terror threat" when he spoke to officers in 2018. "They attempted to engage the man, he attempted to attack the police officers again with a knife and three officers have fired upon that person at that location and he has been fatally wounded by police at that time." Police at a tram stop in Kew where a man was stabbed to death. Credit:Jason South

"I've received a briefing from our counter-terrorism command this morning," Mr Ashton said. "At this stage, they have done a pretty thorough search so far and it hasn't revealed any known links to terrorism that they are aware of. "In fact, we are short of motivation at this time as to why he has done what he's done and committed such very serious offending against the community." Police are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether the attacker was drug-affected. Police Minister Lisa Neville commended police. "They acted in the interest of community safety and as quickly as they could to contain this situation and bring this person under control," she said.