Six people have been killed and several others injured, including a nine-month-old baby, in a mass stabbing at a busy shopping mall in Sydney, Australian police said.
Police were called to Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon local time following reports of multiple people stabbed. Witnesses described scene of panic with some forced to hide in shops as the attack unfolded.
New South Wales (NSW) police commissioner Karen Webb said four women and a man died at the shopping mall, while another woman passed away at the hospital.
She said that eight people are currently being treated for different injuries in hospitals around Sydney, including a nine-month-old infant who has been in surgery.
The suspect – who police said acted alone – was shot dead at the scene by a lone officer.
NSW’s Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said a senior police inspector was nearby when the attack unfolded.
She arrived on the scene first and was alone when she engaged with the attacker. She shot the offender when he raised a knife at her.
“She discharged her firearm, and that person is now deceased,” Cooke said.
Webb told reporters that current elements do not point to a terror motive, but said that the investigation will be ongoing “for many many days” and that it is “too early to say” what was behind the attack.
According to Webb, police believe that the suspect was a 40-year-old man but as background checks remain ongoing, she could not provide further identification details.
