--- description: The suspect may have shouted "Allahu akbar" during the attack, but police are still trying to pin down a motive. title: Frenchman Allegedly Kills Backpacker at Australian Hostel image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte28004e69404f568/6988a374e20a87a059a92227/mia-ayliffe-chung.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Australia](/tag/australia/) ## Australia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Frenchman Accused of Murdering Briton While Allegedly Crying 'Allahu Akbar' by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 24, 2016 12:36 PM CUT  General view, of 4 Primrose Cottages (centre), Hazelwood Hill, Derbyshire, believed to be the former family home of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, a 21-year-old British woman stabbed to death at a backpackers' hostel in Australia by an attacker shouting ''Allahu Akbar". General view, of 4 Primrose Cottages (centre), Hazelwood Hill, Derbyshire, believed to be the former family home of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, a 21-year-old British woman stabbed to death at a backpackers' hostel in Australia by an attacker shouting ''Allahu Akbar".Rui Vieira—PA Wire/Zuma Press by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 24, 2016 12:36 PM CUT A 21-year-old English woman was [stabbed to death](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-37171751 "undefined") at a hostel in northern Australia. An unidentified French suspect, 29, has been accused of the murder of Mia Ayliffe-Chung. Witnesses suggested that he said the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” (God is great) during the stabbing, according to _BBC_. The attack in Home Hill, Queensland also left a 30-year-old British man in critical condition and a 46-year-old Australian man with minor injuries. A dog was killed in the attack as well. Authorities said they were investigating a number of motives, including drug use, extremism and mental illness. The stabbing took place in a small town popular among travelers looking to do farm work, according to _BBC_. Ayliffe-Chung, described by friends as a “free spirit” and a traveler, was only a few days into a three-month trip working with animals when her life was taken. \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-37171751 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4464148/frenchman-accused-of-murdering-briton-while-allegedly-crying-allahu-akbar/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4464148/frenchman-accused-of-murdering-briton-while-allegedly-crying-allahu-akbar/"},"headline":"Frenchman Accused of Murdering Briton While Allegedly Crying 'Allahu Akbar'","datePublished":"2016-08-24T12:36:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:10:01.702Z","description":"The victim was a few days into a three-month trip to Australia","url":"https://time.com/4464148/frenchman-accused-of-murdering-briton-while-allegedly-crying-allahu-akbar/","keywords":["Australia","Crime","england"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte28004e69404f568/6988a374e20a87a059a92227/mia-ayliffe-chung.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte28004e69404f568/6988a374e20a87a059a92227/mia-ayliffe-chung.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Queensland hostel stabbing","caption":"General view, of 4 Primrose Cottages (centre), Hazelwood Hill, Derbyshire, believed to be the former family home of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, a 21-year-old British woman stabbed to death at a backpackers' hostel in Australia by an attacker shouting ''Allahu Akb","creditText":"Rui Vieira—PA Wire/Zuma Press","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/australia/","name":"Australia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4464148/frenchman-accused-of-murdering-briton-while-allegedly-crying-allahu-akbar/","name":"Frenchman Accused of Murdering Briton While Allegedly Crying 'Allahu Akbar'"}}]}] ```