Knife attack in Sydney mall
AN ATTACKER who fatally stabbed at least six people in a Sydney mall was shot dead by police in the beachside suburb of Bondi yesterday, police said, as hundreds fled the scene.
The assailant was shot by a police officer after he attacked shoppers in the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, a police statement said.
Five of the victims killed were women, while eight people, including a ninemonth-old baby, were taken to hospital with stab wounds, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a press conference.
Emergency services were called to the mall, about three kilometres from Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach and popular with children and families, just before 4pm, police said.
Police at this stage do not believe the attack was terrorism-related, Webb said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was no indication yet of the man’s motive.
“This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeting innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping,” he told a press conference.
“Tonight the first thoughts of all Australians are with the victims of these terrible acts.”
Australia, a country of about 26 million people, has some of the world’s toughest gun and knife laws, and attacks such as the one yesterday are rare.
An eyewitness described the police officer shooting the attacker to state broadcaster ABC.
“If she did not shoot him, he would have kept going, he was on the rampage,” said the man, who did not give his name.
“She went over and was giving him CPR.
“He had a nice big blade on him.” Other witnesses said the man was wearing shorts and an Australian national rugby league jersey, and looked confused and appeared to