Fire in CBA Melbourne branch injures 27 people, suspect under police guard in hospital

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the Friday fire at the Springvale branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in Melbourne was not politically motivated. There was also no terrorism involved since what motivated the suspect to burn the bank branch was the state of his mental health and finances.

Tam Minh Tran, a Vietnamese migrant in Australia, thought it was a terrorist attack. He owns a sewing accessories shop in Springvale and was queuing in the bank to deposit when commotion happened so he ran through smoke and fire, using his arms to cover his body, causing burns to his head, face and arms, Herald Sun reports.

Police evacuated on Friday the CBA branch, about 23 kilometres from the central business district of Melbourne, after a 21-year-old Burmese migrant after one of his expected government payments did not arrive. The suspect, who came to Australia by boat in 2013, was waiting for paperwork which would have invited him to apply for a temporary protection visa, ABC reports.

The fire injured 27 people, six of the victims are in critical condition. Those injured by the blaze include a baby and people in their 80s. The suspect is confined at the Alfred Hospital in serious condition and under police guard, Reuters reports.

CCTV footage shows the suspect carrying a container of liquid near the CBA Springvale branch moments before there was a big explosion. Prior to the explosion, the man entered the bank at around noon on Friday and set the lender on fire.

Springvale, where the suspect lives, is part of the Australian state of Victoria, known as a “big-hearted state” for welcoming migrants. Springvale has a multicultural community, including the Burmese Rohingya community from where the suspect comes from.

“As far as motivations, what drove this person to act the way that he did his status, vis-a-vis the mental health system, I'm very limited in what I can say there,” says Andrews who was briefed by Victoria Police about the suspect and the incident. The premier suggests waiting for the investigation process to unfold and send best wishes to families of those hurt in the fire