Australian Police believe Israeli woman found dead in Melbourne was attacked and may have been sexually assaulted
By ILANIT CHERNICKUpdated: JANUARY 18, 2019 04:41Police cordon off Bourke Street mall, after a car hit pedestrians in central Melbourne, Australia, January 20, 2017(photo credit: REUTERS)Australian police have confirmed that a 22-year-old Israeli-Arab, who was found dead on Wednesday morning, was murdered.The woman, believed to be a student, was found dead at around 7 a.m. near a tram station close to Latrobe University in Melbourne.“It seems she was attacked,” said Police Detective Inspector Andy Stamper. “That’s all I’m willing to say at this point.”Asked whether or not she had been sexually assaulted, Stamper said “This will be a possible line of inquiry.”Homicide detectives have called on anyone who had seen anything suspicious in the area between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Tuesday to contact police.Israel’s Consul in Canberra, Nir Rubinoff, together with the Department for Israelis Abroad in the Consular Affairs Department and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are assisting in the transfer of the body for burial in Israel.