A victim of the car attack in central Melbourne on Dec. 21 has died in hospital overnight. The man was 83 years of age.
Antonios (Anton) Crocaris was one of the 18 people injured by a 32-year-old man who purposely drove a vehicle into crowds on Melbourne’s Flinders Street.
Crocaris passed away at The Alfred Hospital Intensive Care Unit at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, eight days after the car attack.
“Our father Anton had his life cruelly taken away in a senseless act of violence,” the family said in a statement.
“These circumstances are devastating to our family. Dad is simply irreplaceable and we will never fully recover from this loss.”
The Age added that nine of those injured in the attack were from overseas, from countries including India, China, Italy, Ireland and Venezuela.
Victorian Police have charged 32-year-old Saeed Noori with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life.
Noori is of Afghan descent and has a history of mental illness, violence and drug use. Not long after the attack, a police official told media that Noori blamed “the mistreatment of Muslims” for “some of his activities.”
He allegedly used a relative’s vehicle – a white Suzuki Grand Vitara– to carry out the attack. His next court appearance is in May.
Melbourne has installed some 140 concrete bollards in the city center in a move to prevent vehicle attacks by terrorists similar to those seen recently in Europe and the United States.
The city has also recently installed an emergency alarm warning system in its CBD. The system is scheduled to be put in 30 other locations across the city.
