Australia: Melbourne police issue warning over arson attacks

Melbourne, April 17 (IANS) Police in Australia's Melbourne on Friday warned the public to be alert for suspicious activity following a string of arson attacks and a drive-by shooting targeting hospitality venues.

The police force in the state of Victoria said in a statement that detectives from the arson and explosives squad are investigating potential links between and the motivation behind five arson attacks and a shooting at hospitality venues in metropolitan Melbourne since Tuesday.

Two of the arson incidents occurred in Melbourne's central business district (CBD), and the other three targeted venues in the city's inner-southern suburbs, police said, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The shooting occurred around 4:10 am on Friday when a shot was fired from a vehicle towards a CBD venue. No injuries were reported.

On April 1, a man was hospitalised in a critical condition after he was shot by police in the Australian state of Queensland.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) said that officers were conducting a welfare check at a property in the suburb of Arana Hills, 12 km northwest of central Brisbane, at around 12:30 p.m., when an altercation occurred involving a man armed with a knife.

The man was subsequently shot by officers, who provided first aid at the scene before he was taken to the hospital in a critical condition.

Local media reported the man was aged 19 and that police officers twice deployed tasers before he was shot.

The QPS said the incident would be investigated by ethical standards and anti-corruption bodies.

Earlier in March, Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) began a search for a man who shot another man before stealing money and a car south of Sydney.

The NSW Police Force said in a statement on Saturday that emergency services were called to reports of a shooting at a hotel in the coastal town of Narooma, 280 km south of Sydney.

Officers were told at the scene that an unknown man had entered the hotel before shooting a 31-year-old man, threatening other patrons and stealing cash.