On 23 August 2016, Smail Ayad, a 29-year-old French national, carried out a stabbing attack at a backpackers' hostel in Home Hill, Queensland, Australia.
[1] It was alleged that Ayad used the Arabic phrase "Allahu akbar" both during the attack and his arrest,[2] and while police had ruled out any links to extremism, they were still investigating whether he had a romantic interest in victim Mia Ayliffe-Chung.
[7] On 27 October 2016, Ayad's trial was adjourned to Mental Health Court, as a result of determining a preliminary diagnosis of schizophrenia.
On hearing the commotion, the hostel manager, Grant Scholz, appeared on the balcony and began to approach Ayad.
Ayad then chased the hostel's 10-year-old pet German shepherd, Atari, around the yard stabbing the dog until it died.
[13][14] Jackson and another guest, Daniel Richards, were subsequently awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for their efforts to aid Ayliffe-Chung.
[15] Moreover, on 24 March 2021, Tom Jackson was also honored posthumously with the Star of Courage, one of Australia's highest bravery awards, for displaying extraordinary selflessness during the attack.
[13] Ayad went out drinking once a week, like many backpackers, where on Saturday nights he would travel to Ayr for rum or beer with other Frenchmen.
[27] Ayliffe-Chung's mother, Rosie Ayliffe, came to Australia for her daughter's cremation and began to investigate working conditions on Australian farms.