Victim of Sydney University stabbing identified as 22-year-old psychology student as family break silence

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 2 minutes read

The victim of a stabbing at the University of Sydney on Tuesday has been revealed to be a psychology student writing his thesis while researching brain disorders.

Melvern Kurniawan, 22, was allegedly stabbed in the neck with a knife by a 14-year-old boy on the Camperdown University campus on Tuesday morning.

Kurniawan was immediately taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was released on Tuesday evening after the alleged stabbing, which happened as he was visiting the university's Brain and Mind Centre.

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Kurniawan's mother, Desy, gave the Daily Telegraph an update on her son's condition on Thursday.

“He's fine, really fine. He doesn't want to talk about it right now, he just wants to recover first,” she said.

Kurniawan's friends also spoke to the outlet.

“He's the smartest man we know… it's horrible that this happened,” one said.

Kurniawan is studying for a Bachelor of Psychology with Honors in Neuroscience.

He is currently writing a thesis and conducting research on dementia, cognition and sleep.

“I hope to use my experience and knowledge about the relationship between the brain, behavior and psychology to help people in a variety of settings,” his LinkedIn page, now unavailable, says.

Counter-terrorism police at the scene of the stabbing of a 22-year-old at the University of Sydney on Tuesday morning. Credit: PAA

Following the alleged attack, anti-terrorism police are now involved in the investigation.

Police have repeatedly said there is no ongoing risk to the community.

The possible motive for the alleged stabbing is not yet clear and there is “no indication” it is linked to anti-Israel protests at the university over the past two months, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said on Tuesday.

“A motive or ideology … has not been determined,” Walton said.

However, he warned parents about the dangers of online radicalism.

“There are concerns about the radicalisation of young people in the online environment: they are adopting violent extremist ideologies and moving towards violence,” he said.

“I urge parents who are aware of this risk to their children. We ask everyone to be concerned and to contact the authorities if they are concerned about the current consumption of extremist ideologies.”