Sydney stabbing: Police arrest knife-wielding man, suspect he may have escaped from mental health institution

The man who went on a stabbing spree in Sydney CBD has been identified as Mert Ney, from Marayong near Blacktown. According to a report, there is also a "crime scene at his home". Terrorism has been ruled out as a motive for the attack and authorities suspect that the attacker has mental health issues and possibly escaped from a mental health facility. Ney, who is now in police custody was not on the terror watch list. His criminal background, if any, is unknown at this time. 

He is said to be a lone actor. "I can say that he was known to police with but his history was unremarkable compared to the gravity of the crimes he committed. I can say he does have a history of mental health, but at this stage, I can't expand on that. No doubt in the coming days, the investigation will be looked closely at, not just the last couple of days, but certainly the last probably six months to 12 months," the NSW police commissioner said. 

Information was found on him related to other crimes related to mass casualties around the world, police said. This included incidents in North America and New Zealand, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ney went on a stabbing spree in Sydney attacking a 41-year-old woman and sending her to the hospital on Tuesday, August 13, afternoon at around 2 pm. She was injured in the back. Another person's body was found at 118 Clarence Street soon after at 3.15 pm. It is not confirmed if the woman's neck was slashed yet, although multiple reports said so. Her age was confirmed to be 21. She was found dead in a residence in Clarence St, Wynyard.

The stabbing occurred in Sydney's CBD and the area was put on lockdown. A man "covered in blood and wielding a knife" went on a spree and police say he wanted to create "multiple crime scenes", stated early reports. The two stabbings were not connected initially but the police have since confirmed that the two incidents are linked. 

Videos of the attacker showed him running through the street holding a knife as people nearby try to stop him, eventually apprehending him by getting him on the ground. He was held down with a milk crate on his upper body and a chair. Soon, authorities step in and take him away. He was reportedly screaming "shoot me in the head".