December 2017 Melbourne car attack

On 21 December 2017, during the busy Christmas shopping period at approximately 4:41 p.m. AEDT, a driver deliberately drove a car into a crowd of pedestrians at the corner of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. According to witnesses and police, the driver, Saeed Noori, an Australian citizen of Afghan descent who had arrived in Australia as a refugee, ran a red light and accelerated into pedestrians crossing between the two streets before his car struck a bollard near a tram stop. Nineteen people were hospitalised, including nine foreign nationals from South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland, and New Zealand. By 23 December 2017, three victims were reported in critical condition.

One victim, Antonios Crocaris, aged 83, died in hospital on 29 December 2017, becoming the sole fatality of the attack.

An off-duty Victoria Police officer was credited with quickly subduing Noori, who was wrestled to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested at the scene. A second man, who had been filming the incident and was found carrying a bag containing three knives and marijuana, was also arrested but was subsequently determined not to have been directly involved.

Victoria Police Commander Russell Barrett stated on the day of the attack that police believed it was a deliberate act. Noori, aged 32 at the time, was known to police for a 2010 assault and had a history of drug use. In June 2017 he had been convicted and fined for driving without a licence, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail; he was unlicensed at the time of the December attack and was driving a vehicle belonging to a relative. Noori had entered Australia in 2004 with six siblings as a refugee.

Following his arrest, prosecutors stated Noori said "Allahu Akbar" two or three times while being detained, and in a police interview that evening claimed Allah had told him to carry out the act. He also made comments regarding his perceived mistreatment of Muslims and about Islam, Muslims, Allah and ASIO. He was noted to exhibit drug withdrawal symptoms and was assessed for psychiatric issues.

Noori appeared in court on 23 December 2017 charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of reckless conduct endangering life; after Crocaris' death, one attempted murder charge was upgraded to murder. He was remanded in custody and ordered to undergo psychiatric assessment. On 7 December 2018, Noori pleaded guilty to one count of murder and 18 counts of attempted murder. In March 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 30 years.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull commented on the difficulty of preventing such attacks given Melbourne's wide streets and tramways, and Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews praised the off-duty officer who intervened.