Student in hospital, 14-year-old boy arrested after Sydney University ...

Police are investigating if a 14-year-old boy wearing an army cadet uniform who allegedly stabbed a 22-year-old student at the University of Sydney entrance on Tuesday morning has extremist links.

The teenager allegedly walked up to the man and stabbed him from behind in the neck with a kitchen knife near the university’s Parramatta Road entrance.

He allegedly fled the scene on a nearby bus. Concerned for the teen’s welfare, a member of the public then helped the boy to the nearby Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where he is being treated for cuts to the hand and is undergoing a mental health assessment.

While police are investigating potential extremist links, including white supremacy, they have not identified a specific ideology.

“What ideology may be related is unknown, but I would say is likely to be categorised as mixed and unclear, it’s not religiously motivated,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton told reporters at a joint press conference with the Australian Federal Police on Tuesday.

“It is known as a salad bar of ideologies. A lot of these vulnerable people, they’re not linked into one particular ideology,” said Walton.

The teen, who lives in Sydney’s inner west, was known to police and “other government agencies”, said Walton.

Police do not have evidence that the boy was acting with a network. The boy was not connected to the army or cadets, Walton said.

Counter-terrorism police have taken over the investigation but have not declared the incident a terrorist attack because they have not identified a specific ideology as required by legislation.

The attack is not linked to last week’s failed alleged terror plot in Newcastle, said Walton.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the man at the scene. He was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious but stable condition, where he remains.

“We’re very fortunate his injuries are fairly minor, someone being stabbed in the neck can quickly end up in tragedy,” said Walton.

Multiple university buildings were locked down earlier on Tuesday as police established a crime scene.

A NSW Police spokesperson said the teenager and the alleged victim were not known to each other, and there was no ongoing risk to the public.

Police seized the knife allegedly used in the attack from the scene.

In an email to staff and students, university vice chancellor Mark Scott confirmed the victim was a student.

“I am shocked and saddened to inform you that a student in our community was attacked on our Camperdown campus this morning in what police believe is an isolated incident,” Scott said.

“NSW Police have arrested the alleged attacker and have assured us that there is no ongoing threat to the community.”

The university was less busy than usual on Tuesday, as most students enjoy a break between semesters.

“As a precautionary measure, there may be an increased security and police presence on campus while investigations continue,” a university spokesperson said.

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