Knifeman shot dead in Melbourne attack
‘TERRORIST’ STABS BYSTANDERS
A KNIFE-WIELDING man has stabbed three people, one fatally, in Melbourne in an attack police linked to terrorism.
The attack brought the centre of Australia’s second largest city to a standstill. Hundreds watched from behind barricades as police tried to apprehend the attacker.
Officers said the man got out of a pick-up truck, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife. He also attempted to attack police who arrived on the scene, before being shot by an officer. He died in hospital.
One of the victims also died, while two others were admitted to hospital.
Police said the attacker’s vehicle contained several barbecue gas cylinders in the back. A bomb squad rendered them safe.
Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said the suspect, originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident was being treated as terrorism. “He’s known mainly in respect to relatives he has, and he’s known to both Victorian police and federal intelligence authorities,” he said.
The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement released through its Aamaq media arm.
Prime minister Scott Morrison condemned the attack and said: “Australians will never be intimidated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest”.