2-7-2024 (SYDNEY) Authorities in Sydney, Australia, have taken a 14-year-old boy into custody following a stabbing incident that occurred on Tuesday morning at the University of Sydney, prompting a lockdown of the campus buildings. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community and raised concerns about public safety.
According to a statement released by the New South Wales state police, emergency crews treated a 22-year-old man who sustained injuries during the attack. The victim was promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
The alleged assailant, whose identity has not been disclosed due to his age, fled the scene after the stabbing but was apprehended by police officers near a hospital after boarding a bus. Authorities have assured the public that there is no ongoing threat, and the victim and the alleged attacker were not known to each other.
A spokesperson for the University of Sydney confirmed that a police operation was underway at the Camperdown campus, and law enforcement officers will maintain a presence on site while investigations continue. The crime scene has been cordoned off to facilitate the gathering of evidence and ensure the safety of students, staff, and visitors.
The stabbing incident has reignited concerns about knife-related violence in the city, coming just two months after a series of alarming attacks. In May, six individuals lost their lives, and twelve others were injured in a knife attack at a beachside mall in Sydney’s Bondi area. Additionally, an Assyrian church bishop was wounded in an unrelated stabbing during a service in the city’s western suburbs.
In response to these incidents, the New South Wales state government took decisive action, toughening its knife laws and granting police officers the authority to conduct electronic metal-detecting scans without a warrant at shopping centers, sporting venues, and public transport stations.
The new legislation, passed in June, also increased the maximum penalty for selling a knife to a child under the age of 16 to A$11,000 ($7,314), imprisonment for 12 months, or both. Furthermore, it prohibited the sale of knives to individuals aged 16 or 17 without a reasonable excuse.
