<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/melbourne" rel="" target="" title="Melbourne"><span>Melbourne</span></a><span> man is recovering in hospital after helping pull off a citizen's arrest of the man who allegedly </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/tabbing" rel="" target="" title="stabbed"><span>stabbed</span></a><span> him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police said the 44-year-old from Essendon was stabbed in the chest and neck outside Moonee Ponds Central shopping centre about 4.30pm today when an argument between two men believed to be strangers quickly escalated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Acting inspector Raj Tillekeratne said the victim, passersby and security from the inner-north-west shopping centre detained the alleged attacker before police arrived.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span></span><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/corellas-poisoned-springvale-melbourne-rspca-investigating/865788be-47fd-4323-85ee-3e2a33494ebb"><strong><span>Hundreds of dead birds fall from the sky</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 55-year-old from Fitzroy with what police described as "significant" mental health history was tonight in police custody awaiting a medical assessment before he could be interviewed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Tillekeratne confirmed the man was heard saying "allahu akhbar" – Arabic for "God is great" – after he was detained. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The inspector said the counterterrorism command had been contacted and police had "nothing to indicate that this is either religiously or politically motivated" so were treating it as "random, isolated offending".</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-moonee-ponds-alleged-stabbing-victim-helps-pull-of-citizens-arrest/8a49aa30-1af3-4fbc-b81b-44c21f174401" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Tillekeratne described the victim, who was tonight in a stable condition in Royal Melbourne Hospital, as "very brave" and "quite lucky".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There could have easily been worse than what really occurred," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So it's pretty, he's pretty lucky, I'd say."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/missing-backpacker-wa-carolina-wilga-statement/3b13b816-8ec2-41a7-9e71-86184fbcea9e"><strong><span>Rescued backpacker reveals why she abandoned car</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police will increase patrols in the area.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No charges have been laid.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em></em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the </span></strong></em><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727"><em><strong><span>Apple App Store</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span> and </span></strong></em><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU"><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>.</span></strong></em></div></div>