CCTV shows moment Melbourne crowd rammed by car

CCTV of the moment a car "deliberately" ploughed into pedestrians outside a train station in Australia has been released.

Video captured the scene as 19 people were injured, some seriously, when a Suzuki SUV careered into a crowd near to Flinders Street station in Melbourne on Thursday.

Officers have since arrested two men, including the 32-year-old driver - an Australian with Afghan descent - who attributed his actions to the "treatment of Muslims".

Australian police have however played down links to terrorism, describing the driver as having a history of drug use and mental health problems.

The video footage, published by Channel 7, showed the vehicle collide with pedestrians as they crossed the road.

Many of the victims are seen being thrown into the air before the car crashes into a phone box.

The vehicle only stopped when it crashed into a phone box. Credit: Channel 7

In the immediate aftermath witnesses and passersby can be seen rushing to the scene and going to the aid of the victims.

Others were seen watching on in shock as the car comes to a crashing halt.

Among the injured, three of whom remain in a critical condition, were people of nine nationalities.

A 25-year-old Irish woman is believed to be in a stable condition following the attack, while two South Korean men aged 61 and 67 are in critical conditions.

A four-year-old boy, also from South Korea, was the youngest to be hurt.

Also injured were nationals from China, India, Venezuela, Italy and New Zealand.

Two men were arrested by police after the collision. Credit: AP

Victoria Police said that officers had questioned driver Saeed Noori in hospital over the collision.

He has now been discharged and remains in police custody.

The second man to be arrested, a 24-year-old, was detained near to the scene and was found to have a bag containing knives while filming the incident.

Police have not yet linked the incident to terrorism. Credit: AP

Acting commissioner Shane Patton said: "During that (questioning) he [Noori] made utterances, talked about dreams and voices but nonetheless did attribute his actions he said to the way that Muslim people are being treated, so based on that we haven't ruled anything out.

"Obviously we've done search warrants last night and we haven't found anything at all to indicate his linkage or involvement with any type of extremism, with any terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature.

"So given the mental illness background and everything we need to step carefully and the investigation is ongoing."

Noori was known to the police, having been convicted of an assault in 2010, and is understand to have been on a mental health plan and receiving treatment.