‘My worst dream’: Father of Aiia Maasarwe shares heartbreaking message

The father of murdered Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe said he is living his “worst dream” following the death of his beloved daughter.

Saeed Maasarwe struggled to hold back tears on Friday as he shared a heartbreaking message at a silent vigil in Melbourne in honour of Aiia.

Addressing media outside the Victorian Parliament House, Saeed expressed his heartfelt thanks to Australians for the support received following the “disaster”.

“When I see people here like this, huge people, support us and give us good feeling about Australia and the community here in Australia my appreciation all of them one by one,” he told reporters at the event which was attended by hundreds of people.

“…I am sad because this is the last place my daughter, was here. We had many dream to be with her, but I cannot now. I want to be with her more time, but someone decide I cannot be.” – Heartbroken father of Aiia Maasarwe makes tearful statement. #7News pic.twitter.com/2wppXePomL

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 18, 2019

“I will have this image, disaster. My worst dream. I have a good dream, nice dream to be with my daughter not this situation.”

The devastated dad, who had flown to Australia shortly after Aiia’s body was discovered, described his daughter as a happy person who brightened everyone’s lives.

“She was a special girl,” Saeed explained. “All the time she think positive, she happy. She can make everything even from the worst situation happy and joke. She is friendly. She is really very, very happy.

“The smile the way she talking for everything, she looking to do everything in the best way. If it is not the best way she don’t do this way.”

His comments came just hours after a 20-year-old man was arrested over the brutal murder of the La Trobe University student, whose body was found in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora on Wednesday morning.

Victoria Police confirmed the man was arrested in the north-east suburb of Greensborough at around 11.20am on Friday, with the assistance of homicide detectives.

Aiia’s body was discovered outside a shopping centre at about 7am by passers-by on their morning commute.

It’s believed Aiia, 21, who had only been in Melbourne for five months, was attacked the night before on her way home from a comedy club in North Melbourne.

According to police, Aiia had caught the 86 tram from a Bourke Street stop to the suburb of Bundoora, around 16km north of the CBD and not far from where her body was located.

We’re LIVE regarding to the ongoing investigation into the Bundoora homicide. More -> https://t.co/FIyasPncTC https://t.co/5YXC9GIiNV

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 17, 2019

Shockingly , Police say Aiia was speaking to her sister, who lives overseas, on her phone when the attack occurred.

“She was actually talking to her sister, we’re pretty certain she was involved in a conversation with her sister, who is overseas, at the time of the attack,” Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper confirmed in a press conference on Thursday.

Read more: Man, 20, arrested over murder of Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe

“The phone then appeared to fall to the ground and she couldn’t contact her. We think that’s the time. She heard the sound of the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices and that was it.”

The extent of Aiia’s injuries and cause of her death is yet to be released out of respect of her family.

“All I will say is, this was a horrific attack. This was an absolutely horrendous, horrific attack inflicted on a completely innocent young woman who was a visitor to our city,”  Stamper added.

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