An Afghan-born Australian man was sentenced to life in prison for running down pedestrians in Melbourne in late 2017 and killing an elderly man.
The sentence handed out on March 28 by Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth means that 37-year-old Saeed Noori must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole.
Upon his arrest, police found images of terrorist attacks abroad and videos about the extremist Islamic State group on Noori's computer and a USB stick.
Video from a security camera showed Noori driving an SUV onto tram tracks near the Flinders Street Station and then accelerating through the intersection as dozens of people crossed the road four days before Christmas 2017.
Noori, driving his mother’s car, plowed over dozens of pedestrians, injuring 21 people, including an 83-year old man who died a week later in a hospital.
The judge said it was "sheer good fortune" that more people were not killed or injured.
"Some victims have likened the scene to a horror movie -- one which keeps replaying in nightmares and flashbacks," she said.
