Israeli student murdered in Australia while on phone with sister
SYDNEY: An Israeli student was killed in a late-night attack in Australia while she was on the phone with her sister, police said yesterday.
Police appealed to the public for help to track down the killer of 21-year-old Aiia Maasarwe, whose body was found early on Wednesday near the campus of the Melbourne university where she was studying.
"This was an horrendous, horrific attack inflicted on a completely innocent young woman who was a visitor to our city," Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told reporters in Melbourne.
Miss Maasarwe, who was five months into a year-long exchange at Melbourne's LaTrobe University, was riding a tram home from a comedy club to the suburb of Bundoora before she was met by her attacker around midnight.
She was talking on the phone with her sister, who was overseas and raised the alarm after something went awry mid-conversation, police said.
"(Her sister) heard the sound of the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices," Mr Stamper said.
Her body was found on Wednesday by passers-by at 7am about 50m from the stop where she exited the tram.
Police would not confirm reports they were investigating a sexual assault but said known sex offenders are an "active line of enquiry".
Officers retrieved a black baseball cap and a grey t-shirt they believe were worn by the perpetrator from the crime scene, which they described as "very distressing".
The victim's family, who are on their way to Australia, described Miss Maasarwe as "happy", "adventurous" and "smart".
"I was in shock, I couldn't believe it... the day before my wife had said to me, 'We'll have to go to Australia, Australia's very safe, very nice'," the victim's uncle Rame Maasarwe said in a television interview.
Police said they were "confident" of finding the perpetrator. - AFP
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