Latest news with #MoustafaSaoud
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- News.com.au
Chilling scene outside cafe one day after barista violently assaulted
The initial assault still sits uneasy in the mind of Melbourne cafe owner Moustafa Saoud. But it's what happened the next morning that made him give up his dream and walk away. Mr Saoud was the victim of a brutal and completely unprovoked attack inside his Eleven: 11 cafe on Buckley Street in Footscray last week. Confronting CCTV footage of the attack shows a hooded man walk through the front doors, approach Mr Saoud behind the counter and throw a punch directly at his mouth. In the vision, Mr Saoud scrambles for safety but the assault continues. When his attacker is done, he calmly walks back out the front door. Mr Saoud told that the most chilling part of the attack was that not a single word was uttered. 'He didn't say anything. Even when he left he didn't say anything.' But Mr Saoud, who opened the cafe in November last year — hence the name — said what happened the next day was worse. It was what tipped him over the edge and confirmed his decision to close permanently. He told that he made a police report on the Friday night that the attack took place, but the man who attacked him returned to the cafe the following morning. 'He came on Saturday morning to my cafe and asked for a cigarette. I gave him one and he stayed outside. But after 10 minutes I went to check if he was still hanging around.' Mr Saoud said what he saw when he went outside was horrifying. 'He had cut himself with a knife and there was blood everywhere. Police and ambulance came. I saw him on the floor, there was so much blood.' He said the possibility that his attacker was carrying a knife at the time of the assault was chilling. 'That's why I'm scared. Maybe next time he was going to use the knife.' Mr Saoud, who opened the cafe with the help of his brothers, said his mum had begged him to close. 'She said, 'please don't go there anymore'. My brother said, 'let's close the cafe, it's not worth it'.' Footscray, which sits 5km west of the Melbourne CBD, has seen crime rates explode in the last few years, driven in large part by drug activity. There were 3530 criminal incidents recorded in Footscray last year, up from 2797 the year before. Assaults were at a record high in 2025 when 380 were reported to police. Four years ago, there was exactly half that number, according to data from the Crime Statistics Agency. The attack on Mr Saoud came just five days after veteran photographer Dominic O'Brien, 62, died after allegedly being attacked in Footscray. Mr O'Brien was allegedly assaulted on Nicholson Street in Footscray on June 15. Lominja Friday Yokoju, 43, is accused of approaching Mr O'Brien before striking him and stomping on his head as he lay on the ground. The former high court immigration detainee was charged with intentionally causing serious injury. The charge was later upgraded to murder. Yokoju has not entered a plea and was remanded until October 20. Mr O'Brien was a respected photographer who worked with major publications including The Australian and The Age. In April, Footscray was also the scene of a fatal shooting. Officers arrived on the corner of Paisley and Albert streets on April 17. Abdinasir Abdullahi Salad, a Somali refugee, allegedly rushed at the officers with a knife when they fatally shot him. It has been reported that Salad was homeless and had mental health issues. The Coroners Court of Victoria heard the 35-year-old had stolen a knife from the nearby Kmart store and that police yelled, 'don't move, drop the knife' before the shooting. In March, there was another violent incident in Footscray. Video obtained by the Herald Sun showed a woman hurling a beer keg into a shopfront over and over before grabbing shards of glass and running at bystanders. She was tackled to the ground in an incident that locals said was becoming all too familiar. A month earlier, a man was left fighting for his life after a machete attack in the same suburb. CCTV of that incident showed a brawl spilling onto the street before one man allegedly pulled a machete and stabbed a 24-year-old several times. Mr Saoud said crime is being fuelled by drugs and that it is worse now than it was when he first opened. 'When I opened, it was alright. It was beautiful, nice and quiet. It's a great community. It started getting worse. 'It's not nice. Everybody is worried about their kids. Customers always say they are worried. They're scared to walk around after 6pm.' He said walking away from the cafe was a difficult decision, emotionally and financially. He is locked in to a lease and needs somebody to take it over before he can move on. 'Nobody is going to want to do that,' he said.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Café that makes the 'best coffee in Melbourne' is forced to shut down after owner was brutally attacked at work: 'It's no longer safe'
A Melbourne café owner who was brutally assaulted at work has closed down his successful business after just seven months, declaring that he no longer feels 'safe'. Moustafa Saoud, the owner of Eleven: 11 café on Buckley Street in Footscray, was punched and kicked by a hooded man on June 20 in a horrifying attack that was captured on CCTV. The disturbing footage shows the man approaching the owner who is standing behind the counter. Mr Saoud is then punched in the face and kicked repeatedly. The assailant had visited the café earlier that day on two occasions to ask for a cigarette. On his second visit, he was refused a cigarette before returning for a third time and carrying out the attack. Co-owners Mr Saoud and Alex Saoud made the difficult decision to shut down the business following the shocking incident. The brothers say they have noticed a spike in drug-related violence in the area in recent months and that it's too dangerous to continue trading. 'It's not worth it, to lose my life for,' Mr Saoud told Nine News. 'I'm not gonna be safe anymore.' 'I don't need to make my mum, my dad upset, him upset. It's not safe,' Mr Saoud's brother and business partner Alex agreed. Locals are devastated the café is closing and are fed up with the reported increase in violence and drug-use in the area. Some are worried the increase in violence will deter new businesses from setting up in the area in the future. One resident said the café 'made the best coffee in Melbourne' and will be sorely missed. Victoria Police regularly patrol the area around Footscray daily to prevent drug offending and violent behaviour.
News.com.au
29-06-2025
- News.com.au
‘Not worth it': Melbourne cafe closes after seven months following violent attack
It's buzzing cafe in Melbourne's inner city that opened just seven months ago, with locals raving about how great the coffee is. However, the co-owners of Eleven: 11 cafe on Buckley Street in Footscray say they have decided to close its doors after a shocking attack and noticing a general trend of a spike in drug use and street violence in the area. Horrifying CCTV from inside the cafe shows the attack on the morning of June 20. A hooded man can be seen approaching cafe owner Moustafa Saoud, who was behind the counter of his shop. Mr Saoud was then punched in the face and kicked in the legs. The attacker had allegedly entered the cafe twice earlier that morning to ask for a cigarette. On his second visit, the man was refused a cigarette and on the third time he carried out the attack. Mr Saoud told Nine News he no longer feels safe. 'It's not worth it, to lose my life for,' he said. 'I'm not gonna be safe anymore.' 'It's not safe,' brother and business partner Alex Saoud agreed. Locals, who are fed up with violence and drug-use in the area, say they are devastated that the cafe is closing. 'He made the best coffee in Melbourne, and I'll stand by that,' one local said. Victoria Police has been contacted for comment about the June 20 cafe incident. Police told Nine News there are daily patrols around Footscray to prevent drug offending and antisocial behaviour.
