The Project’s Waleed Aly on ‘traumatising’ Sydney stabbing

The Project host couldn’t hide his horror as the show reported on the terrifying Sydney CBD stabbing that has left one woman dead.

The Project’s Waleed Aly has labelled footage of today’s Sydney CBD stabbing “traumatising”, as more details of the terrifying event continue to emerge.

One woman was killed, another stabbed, and multiple people were targeted in the stabbing frenzy before brave bystanders eventually restrained the accused knifeman, Mert Nay, 21.

Videos of a group of men chasing and pinning down the attacker with cafe chairs and a milk crate were quickly circulated online, and were among dozens of clips recorded by witnesses and shared soon after the man completed his rampage through the streets near Wynyard station.

Waleed Aly argued having so much footage of the incident was "tramatising".

Discussing the incident on Tuesday’s The Project, Carrie Bickmore questioned whether it was “a good thing or a bad thing” that there was so much footage of the incident available.

“I mean, it must obviously help with investigations and stuff, but then seeing it all unfold … I don’t know,” she said.

Aly argued that seeing video of the event couldn’t be helpful to the public and only served to upset.

Leon Baghlani was the driver of the car that the knife wielding man jumped on during the attack. We spoke to Leon about the first moment he knew something was wrong. pic.twitter.com/TreTapaTDV

— The Project (@theprojecttv) August 13, 2019

“I do feel like we’re being traumatised by watching it,” he said. “I’m not sure that trauma helps us in any way, does it really? Can you think of a way it would?”

The panel also praised the efforts of people nearby in restraining Nay with chairs and a milk crate until police could arrive on the scene.

“We know in hindsight we can learn a bit about what the situation was, that he was alone and he seemed to be alone,” Peter Helliar said.

“They didn’t know. When you’re in that situation, I can’t imagine, you don’t know what the situation is.”

Mert Nay was apprehended by police. Picture: Kartik Lad

“As I was watching the vision, I tried to imagine myself in it and I don’t think there is any chance of me approaching, I reckon,” Aly added. “Like you say, you don’t know until you’re in (it), but I can’t imagine myself doing it.”

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller described the “terrifying carnage” the attacker inflicted on members of the public as he stabbed a 41-year-old woman in the back.

“Three members of the public who can only be described as highest order heroes, have engaged this 21-year-old man and have placed him essentially under arrest, even though he was brandishing a large butcher’s knife and was clearly dangerous,” he said.

“A number of other emergency services were in the vicinity and responded shortly after, and police put this individual in custody.

“In the next 30 minutes an expanded crime scene unfortunately identified a 21-year-old woman … deceased.

“All the available information we have at hand would link these two crimes.”

Originally published as The Project’s Waleed Aly on ‘traumatising’ Sydney stabbing