A Canberra man is behind bars tonight charged over the stabbing of two women at the Australian National University. The incident has left both staff and students in shock and police mystified as to the motive for the attack.
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00:00 24-year-old Alex Ophel has been charged with attempted murder, assault and carrying a weapon
00:07 with the intent to use it to kill someone.
00:10 He was arrested yesterday after the dramatic events at the ANU.
00:15 Police say he arrived on campus first hitting a man with a frying pan, then stabbing two
00:20 women leaving one critically injured.
00:23 The other attacked while trying to flee.
00:26 A second man was punched in the face.
00:29 Yesterday was a terrifying act of violence.
00:32 Many students are upset and angry about the incident yesterday.
00:36 Concerns have been voiced from near and far.
00:38 Australia is a safe place.
00:41 We're a safe place to live, to work, to study and when things like this happen it just makes
00:47 it all the more shocking.
00:49 The university has ramped up security with more patrols and a hub established for students
00:54 to seek help if they've been affected.
00:57 The two women who were stabbed remain in hospital.
01:00 I can tell you that two of the students involved were Australian domestic students and two
01:06 of the students involved were international students.
01:09 Police have been piecing together events from witness accounts and other material including
01:14 CCTV footage.
01:16 In court today Alex Ophel's lawyer asked for some time to determine if his client was fit
01:22 to give him instructions.
01:25 When the matter later returned to court Mr Ophel had chosen not to apply for bail.
01:30 His motives remain a mystery.
01:33 How the man came to be on the campus at ANU and his movements on campus are currently
01:38 the subject of the police investigation.
01:40 Mr Ophel did not enter any pleas today.
01:44 A mental health assessment carried out on him has been ordered to be sent to Canberra's
01:49 jail where Mr Ophel is expected to remain until his next court appearance next month.
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