Fourteen people remain in hospital after a car rammed into pedestrians in Melbourne's city centre on Thursday in what Victoria's premier has called a "horrific and evil" incident.
Three people, including an 83-year-old man, remain in a critical condition while the condition of a 4-year-old boy who was injured in the incident has improved overnight.
A white SUV drove into pedestrians at Flinders and Elizabeth Streets at 4:41pm local time (12:41am ET).
Twenty people presented to hospital yesterday and 18 of those were admitted, police said in a statement on Friday afternoon. Four people have been discharged from hospital.
The 32-year-old Heidelberg West man alleged to be the driver has been released from hospital and is currently in police custody.
Nine of the victims are overseas nationals, hailing from South Korea, China, Italy, India, Ireland, Venezuela and New Zealand.
Here are updates on their conditions:
-83-year-old male from Northcote in a critical condition;
-67-year-old male, South Korean national, in a critical condition;
-61-year-old male, South Korean national, in a critical condition;
-40-year-old male, Venezuelan national from Elwood, serious but stable;
-47-year-old female from Richmond is stable;
-45-year-old male, Indian national, is stable;
-36-year-old female from Mentone is stable;
-35-year-old female from Mernda is stable;
-30-year old female from Craigieburn is stable;
-25-year-old female, Irish national living in Caulfield, is stable;
-24-year-old male, Chinese national, is stable;
-4-year-old male, South Korean national living in Hoppers Crossing, is stable;
-33-year-old female from Seaford has been discharged;
-17-year-old male from Brunswick East has been discharged;
-43-year-old male, New Zealand national living in Heathmont, has been discharged;
-25-year-old male, Italian national, has been discharged;
-58-year-old female from Coburg attended hospital but was not admitted;
-25-year-old female from Reservoir attended hospital but was not admitted.
Two men were arrested at the scene, one by an off-duty police officer and the other by officers with the Critical Incident Response Team.
The driver of the SUV has been identified as an Australian man of Afghan descent, acting police commissioner Shane Patton said in a press conference. He confirmed that officers believe the act to have been "deliberate".
He said the man was known to Victoria Police and had a "history of drug use and mental health issues". Patton said the man was on a mental health plan, and was receiving treatment at the time of the incident.
"At this time we do not have any evidence for any intelligence to indicate there is a connection with terrorism,” Patton said. "Having said that, however, we continue to support this investigation with our counterterrorism command to ensure that there isn’t that connection and that there is no ongoing threat."
Patton said officers were satisfied that the man was the only individual in the car, which was registered to a family member.
He urged reporters not to refer to the incident as a "lone wolf attack". He said it was "a horrific incident where a person drove directly at pedestrians".
"It is a crime and we will be fully exploring that," Patton said. "One of the key aspects we are exploring is in respect to mental health backgrounds and drug use in respect of this individual."
In an interview on Friday morning, Patton said the man "made a number of ... utterances in respect to dreams and voices but also attributing his actions relative to concerns for treatment of Muslims".
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed nine of the victims were foreign nationals and said consular officials were getting in touch with their families, he told reporters on Friday morning.
Terrorism was "politically motivated violence" and police were unable to define the tragedy as such, he said.
“At this stage, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or certainly any links to extremist groups," Turnbull said.
"Although he has made reference to the perceived mistreatment of Muslims as justification for his actions. There is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out."
Turnbull said he had been reviewing the "national strategy" for protecting Australians in "crowded places" after a truck slammed into a crowd of revellers gathered in Nice, France, on Bastille Day last year.
Melbourne had some "special challenges" for safety, he said, due to the wide streets and tramways.
Patton reiterated that they did not believe the incident was connected to terrorism, and said officers were treating it as a "quarantined" and "singular" event. "We are asking everyone to come in, go to the cricket, go to the carols,” he said.
A 24-year-old man was also arrested at the scene after he was seen filming in the moments after the incident. Three knives were found in his bag.
Patton confirmed that so far, officers were unable to find "any relationship" between the second man and the driver, but that he was assisting police with inquiries.
That man was released on Friday morning and is expected "to be charged on summons" for possessing cannabis and controlled weapons, police told BuzzFeed News.
A crime scene has been established, and detectives from the Crime Command are leading the investigation, Victoria Police said in a statement.
Police have closed off Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Report number of pedestrians have been hit by car @SkyNewsAust
A witness who identified himself as John told the ABC that he saw the SUV travelling "at high speed" and "hitting people".
"I saw a car, an SUV, coming at high speed and really just heard the collision with people with bags and what must be shopping trolleys — and I hope not prams," he told ABC Radio Melbourne. "I've really never seen anything like this before and I haven't stopped shaking."
Witness Sue Nicolaidis told the Herald Sun she was working at Walker's Doughnuts when she heard a loud noise and a car screeching down Flinders Street.
"We heard this noise and we looked up then we just heard bang, bang, bang, and people flying everywhere," Nicolaidis said. "There was just people on the ground, not moving, people screaming, it is just like a nightmare."
Scene on Flinders St. White SUV has gone through pedestrians and crashed into tram stop @9NewsMelb
Another witness, speaking to the Age, said there was "blood everywhere" when she arrived at Flinders Street shortly after the incident.
Victoria premier Daniel Andrews called the incident an "act of evil and an act of cowardice".
He confirmed that 19 people were taken to hospital following the incident. Four people were initially in critical care and 15 — including the 32-year-old alleged offender — were in a stable condition.
Andrews said he was in touch with the prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was monitoring the situation, and had spoken to him twice on Thursday evening.
Earlier, the PM condemned the "shocking incident", saying in a statement that his "thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the emergency and health workers who are treating them".
Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten tweeted following the "shocking" incident. "Thinking of everyone caught up in this atrocity," he said.
Internationally, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Arden tweeted that her thoughts were "with Australia and the people of Melbourne" after the incident. "Thinking of all the victims and their families," she added.
This is a breaking news story. For updates follow @BuzzFeedNews.