One man dead, two hurt after stabbing attack at mosque

UPDATE: A MAN has been charged over a stabbing attack during morning prayers at a mosque that left one elderly man dead and two others seriously hurt.

WORSHIPPERS at a mosque fled for their lives as a man ran amok with a knife during morning prayers, leaving one elderly man dead and two others seriously hurt.

Horrified witnesses said the attacker went berserk on Thursday when other worshippers refused to let him enter the Broadmeadows mosque for prayers.

The man, who was not a regular worshiper, allegedly became violent when other worshippers refused to let him enter morning prayers.

All the victims were elderly men.

"It was crazy. A rampage," one man said.

"Six people locked themselves in the billiard room when they saw the knife and the president was locked in his office."

Witnesses told the Herald Sun that the man initially turned up at the mosque asking for financial help before making racist remarks and pulling out a knife.

Mosque regular Yunus Saglan described the dead man, Omer Ali Aysel, as "a gentleman".

"He tried to help people surrounding him. That's the sad thing - that they were just trying to help," he said.

He claimed the mosque attempted to help the man just a day earlier, but he returned today in what appeared to be a drug affected state.

"This is everyone's problem,"" he said. "I think we need to do something about this issue."

Of the two victims who survived the attack, one remains critically injured, after violence broke out at the mosque in King St, Dallas, just before 11am.

Det Sen-Sgt Stuart Bailey said the shocking attack happened before about 40 members of the mosque.

"Many of those were female and elderly," he said.

"Three people in that mosque tried to prevent his entry - they were all in their 70s - the male has produced a knife and has stabbed all three of those (people)," Sen-Sgt Bailey said.

A sergeant, who was first on the scene, attempted to apprehend the man but was also assaulted.

"Fortunately for police a Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) were also nearby and attended," Sen-Sgt Bailey said.

"They deployed capsicum spray which didn't stop the offender. He's then ran out of the mosque car park into King St where he was tasered by the CRT members."

It took six CRT and two uniformed officers to arrest the alleged killer.

Police would not say whether the man was drug affected, but confirmed he was known to members of the mosque community.

"It's a horrific attack on three elderly gentlemen that were just trying to go about their normal business at the mosque," Sen-Sgt Bailey said.

The critically injured man from Mickleham was being treated at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

A man from Craigeburn, was taken to the Northern Hospital and was in a stable condition.

Erol Elmas, 22, of Broadmeadows, faced an out-of-sessions hearing on Thursday night, charged with one count of murder.

Homicide squad detectives and forensics crews examined the scene during the afternoon.

Witnesses to the attack should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

News_Module: Mosque stabbing attack