An attacker who fatally stabbed six people in a shopping center was shot dead by police on Saturday in Bondi, a coastal suburb of Sydney, as hundreds of people fled the scene.
The attacker was killed by a police officer after attacking shoppers at the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centerthe police reported in a statement.
Five of the six fatalities were women and another eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, were taken to hospital. with stab wounds, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said at a press conference.
For the moment, hePolice do not believe the attack is related to terrorismWebb added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese He said there was still no indication of the man's motive.
“It was a horrible act of violence, directed indiscriminately against innocent people who were shopping on any Saturday“he said at a press conference.
Australia has one of the strictest gun and knife laws in the world.and attacks like the one on Saturday are rare.
Emergency services responded to the shopping center shortly before 4:00 p.m.s after learning of the stabbing, the police reported.
Ayush Singh, 25, worked at a cafe in the mall when he saw the attack and heard the police shots.
“I saw the guy with the knife running and chasing people. When he passed by me I heard two or three shots and he was neutralized.“he told Reuters.
“People around me were terrified. There were some elderly women who I helped get to a safe place inside the cafeteria“.
