A British woman has been killed in an alleged stabbing attack by a French man in front of up to 30 horrified onlookers at a backpackers hostel in Australia’s north-east.

The woman, 21, was found dead by Queensland police who were “confronted with a terrible scene” at the hostel in Home Hill – about 100km south of Townsville – on Tuesday night.

Queensland police said on Wednesday there were reports that the man, a French national aged 29, used the phrase “Allahu Akbar” – God is greatest in Arabic – during the attack that was witnessed by up to 30 people.

A British man, 30, was in a critical condition with stabbing wounds allegedly inflicted by the French man who has been taken into police custody.

Queensland Police Service Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the French man shouted the phrase following the attack at the hostel, but police had not determined whether the incident was terror related. “While this information will be factored into the investigation, we are not ruling out any motivations at this stage, whether they be political or criminal,” he told reporters in Brisbane.

Read More- The Guardian

Image courtesy of ABC TV