Suspect in police custody after being restrained by O'Shaughnessy, his brother and their friend; woman's body found near scene of incident
Tuesday 13 August 2019 10:48, UK
Three British men, including former Bury midfielder Paul O'Shaughnessy, pinned down a knife-wielding man who allegedly attempted to stab several people in Sydney on Tuesday.
O'Shaughnessy, who played over 70 times for the Shakers from 1998 to 2004, his brother Luke and his friend Lee Cuthbert - all from Manchester - were working in their recruitment company office in the Australian city when they heard shouting in the street and gave chase.
The trio managed to pin down the man and restrain him until police arrived.
Police say the suspect, who witnesses say yelled "Allahu akbar" - or "God is great" - during the incident, has been arrested and is being questioned.
A woman's body was found in an apartment building near the scene, at a busy intersection in Australia's most populous city.
O'Shaughnessy, 37, who moved to Australia from the UK in 2008 to play for North Sydney, said: "We saw what was going on and chased the man.
"He had a knife, it was covered in blood. He kept saying something in Arabic. He was clearly under the influence of something.
"My brother Luke managed to keep him pinned down until the police arrived. My brother put a crate and a chair to keep him pinned down. He didn't show any remorse at all."
A witness told reporters the man was screaming comments about religion, before yelling to police that he wanted to be shot.
Video footage showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a long-bladed knife.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "The violent attack that took place in Sydney this afternoon is deeply concerning.
"The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to able to restrain him."
