A knife-wielding attacker stormed a shopping centre in Sydney, Australia, killing six individuals, including the assailant.
Australian police swiftly responded to the incident, which unfolded in New South Wales' Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall, conducting an operation to contain the situation.
Eyewitnesses reported that the armed man initiated the attack by stabbing and fatally injuring five individuals within the six-storey shopping centre in Sydney’s east. The assailant, who also opened fire during the assault, was subsequently neutralised in a police operation.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the shopping centre, as law enforcement authorities worked to secure the area and ensure public safety.
In a statement to the media, a spokesperson for the Sydney Police confirmed that the knife-wielding attacker had been killed during the operation. However, the motive behind the attack remains unknown at this time, leaving investigators to determine the circumstances of the incident.
The police reiterated that the assailant acted alone and has yet to be formally identified. The tragic event has sent shockwaves through the community, prompting an outpouring of condolences for the victims and their families.
Anthony Cooke, police assistant commissioner, confirmed that the attacker was shot dead by a nearby police officer, who was on her own.
“She confronted the offender who had moved by this stage to level five [of the mall] as she continued to walk quickly behind him to catch up with him. He turned, faced her, raised a knife. She discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased.”
He further said there were five victims killed as a result of the attack.
Cooke stated that the individual had entered the shopping centre, left, and subsequently returned, at which point he proceeded to stab individuals within the premises. It is unclear as to the ideology or motive.
