- Melvern Kurniawan was allegedly stabbed at the University of Sydney
The victim of an alleged terror stabbing at a university campus is a psychology graduate researching brain disorders.
Melvern Kurniawan, 22, was allegedly stabbed in the neck and back with a kitchen knife by a 14-year-old boy at the University of Sydney at about 8.35am on Tuesday.
Mr Kurniawan was walking to the Brain and Mind Centre, which is located on the campus, when the random attack allegedly took place.
Bystanders rushed to his aid and helped stemmed the bleeding until paramedics arrived.
He was taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and is now recovering at home after he was discharged on Tuesday night.
Mr Kurniawan’s family broke their silence from their home in Sydney’s Hills district on Wednesday following his terrifying ordeal.
‘He is doing fine, really fine. He doesn’t want to talk about it for now, just recover first,’ his mother Desy told the Daily Telegraph.
Melvern Kurniawan, 22 (pictured left with his family ) was allegedly stabbed in the neck and back with a kitchen knife by a 14-year-old boy at the University of Sydney at about 8.35am on Tuesday
Some of Mr Kurniawan’s friends, who visited his home, told the newspaper he is an academically gifted student with a ‘brilliant mind’.
‘He’s the smartest guy we know… It’s awful this happened,’ one said.
Mr Kurniawan is a research assistant at the Brain and Mind Centre and is currently completing a thesis.
The centre is a globally recognised institute that conducts world-leading research on developing treatments for conditions in the brain,
The institute is also renowned for its leading mental health research.
Mr Kurniawan is studying a Bachelor of Psychology with Honours in Neuroscience.
He is conducting research into dementia, cognition and sleep.
‘I hope to use my experience and knowledge of the relationship between the brain, behaviour, and psychology to assist people across diverse settings,’ his LinkedIn page states.
Mr Kurniawan was also a talented high school student with an impressive ATAR of 99.40.
He topped his class in several subjects including English Extension Two and Legal Studies.
The teenager, who was wearing an army cadet-style uniform, was arrested by police a short time later (pictured police at the crime scene at the university campus on Tuesday)
Detectives from NSW Police and the Counter Terrorism Unit returned to the RPA hospital on Wednesday, where the teenager is currently being treated (pictured police at the crime scene on Tuesday)
His alleged attacker who was wearing an army cadet-style uniform, was arrested by police a short time later.
He remains under police guard in RPA Hospital as he undergoes a mental health assessment.
Detectives from NSW Police and the Counter Terrorism Unit returned to the hospital on Wednesday.
NSW Police Assistance Commissioner Mark Walton said the incident was not deemed a terrorist attack.
An motive has not identified by investigators at this stage and no connection to an ideology has been made.
Detectives have assessed that the boy acted alone and there is no evidence to suggest he is part of a larger organised group.
Photos from the scene show a puffer jacket and a backpack beside what appears to be a bloodstain on the concrete at the university’s entrance (pictured)
The teenager has taken part in several government run deradicalisation programs after he was charged last year with threatening to carry out a terrorist attack.
Footage captured by a CCTV camera showed the boy walking on Parramatta road before he entered the campus of the university just before 8.30am.
He was seen walking out of the campus holding his right hand, which is understood to have been injured during the attack.
Police said the boy boarded a bus to the RPA Hospital and told staff he had allegedly stabbed someone.