A man arrested for a fatal stabbing spree in Sydney had escaped from mental health care earlier in February, authorities have confirmed.

SYDNEY: A man arrested after a fatal stabbing spree in western Sydney had escaped from mental health care earlier in February, authorities have confirmed. One person died and two others were hospitalised with serious injuries after they were stabbed at a shopping strip in Merrylands.

A 25-year-old man was arrested nearby following a major search. Authorities confirmed that he was known to police and had escaped from mental health care on Feb 7.

The Western Sydney Local Health District said the suspect was a recent patient at Cumberland Hospital. He had absconded while being transferred to a separate hospital for assessment.

Police were notified at the time, but all attempts to contact the man were unsuccessful. Superintendent Simon Glasser from the New South Wales Police Force said detectives believe two of the stabbings occurred inside a premises.

He said the third stabbing occurred on a public footpath. Glasser confirmed there was no known relationship between the three victims.

Police are treating the incident as a random attack. No charges had been laid over the incident as of Tuesday night. – (Bernama-Xinhua)

 The Sun Malaysia