Man killed during wild clashes in Ali Curung as up to 100 people riot, cars set on fire and properties looted
POLICE are investigating a young man’s death which they believe happened during wild clashes in which up to 100 people ran riot as cars were set on fire and properties looted
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UPDATED: A 25-YEAR-OLD man has been found dead and others have been injured after days of escalating unrest and fighting came to a head in the remote community of Ali Curung.
Local businesses within Ali Curung — a community already in mourning after the deaths of four people with ties to the area last week — were forced to lock their doors while a large group of residents clashed on Monday.
The desert community is located about 150km southeast of Tennant Creek, and about 180km east of the community of Willowra.
Many of the locals involved were seen fighting with weapons including knives, pipes and nula nulas, while others set fire to cars and looted homes.
When officers arrived on the scene on Monday they were met with the sight of burning vehicles and ransacked buildings after a reported 100 people ran riot through the community.
Southern Desert Division Superintendent Jody Nobbs said NT Police sent reinforcements to quell the disturbances at 11.30am and discovered a 25-year-old man they believe was killed during the unrest.
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“Police are certainly treating this as a suspicious death and accordingly have sent police investigation officers from both Tennant Creek and Darwin,” he said.
He said the cause of the unrest was still unclear but police would not rule out a possible link to the tragedy in which four young people died by a dusty, remote road on Wednesday.
Supt Nobbs said police did not formally evacuate anyone from the community, but education staff had left on their own accord as they became increasingly concerned with violence in the area.
The staff members have since returned to their posts.
He said police officers had spent the night in Ali Curung and brought “relative calm” to the community, but they would maintain a presence in the remote community for “as long as required”.
“We’ll look at either scaling up or scaling our response down, depending on the prevailing issues at the time,” Supt Nobb said.
“We want to establish and maintain a sense of normality within the community.”
No one has yet been charged over the death of the 25-year-old man or any other crimes associated with the unrest.
Man killed during wild clashes in Ali Curung as up to 100 people reported rioting and cars set on fire @TheNTNews https://t.co/ZDOCuetVGG
— Natasha Emeck (@tashemeck) November 13, 2018
Supt Nobbs said looting had been limited to the early stages of the unrest, and had since been brought under control.
A number of weapons were used throughout the day, including “cultural weapons and other items adapted for the purpose of inflicting physical harm”.
The operators of the local Mirnirri Store said they had witnessed ongoing tensions between the east and west side of town for years.
Several confronting YouTube videos of street fights in Ali Curung have been circulating online over the last few months.
An autopsy will be conducted on the body of the young man to determine the cause of his death.
Members of the public are advised to defer all unnecessary travel to Ali Curung at the current time.
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