Grandfather charged with stabbing baby girl to death in Australia

Police have struggled to determine the motivation for the multiple stabbings, which took place in the eastern Australian city on Wednesday and left the community reeling.

But they confirmed Friday that charges had been laid against the man, who was also badly injured in the incident and taken to hospital.

"A 52-year-old man has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder," Queensland Police said in a statement without naming him.

"A bedside hearing was held this afternoon in hospital and the man has been remanded in custody."

The grandparents had travelled on holiday from China to help the family as the baby's mother returned to work at a bank, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The baby's mother reportedly raised the alarm, running to neighbours after she was stabbed in the arms and asking for the whereabouts of her baby.

When police arrived at the scene at around 2:30 pm, they found the two women and the baby bleeding from their wounds and the man also hurt.

The baby, who was reportedly stabbed in her bassinet, died that afternoon. The two other women stabbed remain in hospital.

The child's father, Tenglong Xu, thanked the community for their support and pleaded for privacy as the family grieve.

"My wife and I would like to extend our thanks to the community for the support they have shown to us since this tragic incident that occurred within our family home on Wednesday," he said.