Six people were killed and several others injured — including a nine-month-old baby — when a knife-wielding attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping center yesterday.
Australian police said multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified assailant, who was tracked down and shot dead by a policewoman who is being hailed as a national hero.
The incident occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with thousands of Saturday afternoon shoppers.
Photo: AFP
Five women and one man had died, while a baby was undergoing emergency surgery, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said
Police said the attacker was believed to be a 40-year-old man who was known to law enforcement, but he has not yet been formally identified.
Webb played down suggestions that the attack could have been an act of terrorism, saying it was believed the suspect acted alone.
Photo: AFP
“If it is in fact the person we believe it is, then ... it’s not a terrorism incident,” she said.
A New South Wales Ambulance spokesperson said that eight people were taken to several hospitals across Sydney, including the baby who was taken to the city’s Children’s Hospital.
“They all have traumatic injuries,” the official said.
Security camera footage showed a man wearing an Australian rugby league jersey running around the shopping center with a large knife. Injured people lay still on the floor, or surrounded by pools of blood. Eyewitnesses described a scene of panic, with shoppers scrambling to safety and police trying to secure the area.
Many took shelter in shops, trying to protect themselves, their families and frightened strangers.
Ayush Singh was working at a cafe inside the center when the incident occurred.
“I saw the whole thing in front of me,” he said. “I saw a lot of people running around. I saw the guy running with the knife and people running away.”
Singh helped two older women who were having a coffee to hide inside his cafe.
He heard three gunshots, then saw the man lying on the ground.
“It was really scary,” he said. “I’ve felt really safe [in Australia]. I’ve been here for six years. I didn’t feel unsafe, but now I feel scared.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the bravery of strangers who helped each other and the female police inspector who rushed headlong toward danger.
“She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives through her action,” Albanese said.
As night fell, dozens of heavily armed police and ambulances were still outside the shopping complex, with stretchers ready to take people to nearby hospitals. The mall had been locked down and police urged people to avoid the area.
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