A 22-year-old man has been charged for allegedly threatening shoppers with a knife at a busy shopping centre near Brisbane on Sunday morning.
Musika Claude Ilongo, allegedly wielded the knife at Logan Central at 10.40am and rammed trolleys at people while hurling chairs.
Police alleged the incident began when the man dropped into a prayerful pose before trying to hold and kiss a woman he did not know.
He later returned with a knife before allegedly assaulting a shopper.
‘Everyone just went into panic mode,’ a witness said.
Butcher shop employees intervened and chased him from the centre, fearing the incident could have developed into a repeat of the Westfield Bondi Junction rampage in which Joel Cauchi stabbed and killed six people in April 2024.
‘It could have gone bad really quick..you don’t want to see something really bad happen and someone getting stabbed,’ butcher Mousaab Houabchia said.
‘If people get away with this sort of behaviour it will just keep going on.’
Police caught up to him as he ran through nearby streets.
A young man has been charged after allegedly threatening shoppers with a knife at a shopping centre near Brisbane on Sunday
Musika Claude Ilongo, 22, was later charged with four counts of common assault in a public place while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, two counts of making threats, and one count of going armed to cause fear
‘Tell us where the knife is, dude,’ police were heard saying as they arrested him.
He was later charged with four counts of common assault in a public place while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, two counts of making threats, and one count of going armed to cause fear.
Ilongo was refused bail in Beenleigh Local Court on Monday after the court was told he may have had a psychotic episode.
Ilongo’s lawyer told the court his client intends to fight the charges and will argue he acted in self-defence, 7News reports.
