Six people are dead, and another eight — including a 9-month-old baby — were left seriously wounded after a stabbing rampage at a crowded mall in Sydney, authorities said.
The attacker walked into the Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction, in the city’s eastern suburbs, on Saturday about 3:10 p.m. local time, New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke told reporters.
The 40-year-old suspect killed six people, five women and a man, before he was shot and killed by an officer who ran toward the danger without hesitation or backup.
Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese praised the lone female cop for entering the mall “by herself” and killing the suspect before he could cause any more harm.
“She is certainly a hero,” Albanese said. “There is no doubt that she saved lives.”
Surveillance video from inside the popular mall shows a man, wearing a gold-and-green rugby jersey, racing through crowds of people with what looks to be a large knife in his hand. Scores of people are seen fleeing the violent chaos, many with children in their arms, while others attempt to stop the attacker.
One video shared online shows a man confront the suspect on an escalator by wielding what appears to be a stanchion or bollard.
Some shopkeepers, meanwhile, reportedly pulled down their shutters, and hid those who could not escape the mall in a bid to keep them safe.
Roi Huberman, a sound engineer at ABC TV in Australia, told the network that he sheltered in a store during the incident.
“Suddenly we heard a shot or maybe two shots and we didn’t know what to do,” he said. “Then the very capable person in the store took us to the back where it can be locked. She then locked the store and then she then let us through the back and now we are out.”
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said Saturday the eight wounded people were being treated at area hospitals. The 9-month-old was in surgery, but it was too early to give an update on their condition, she said.
Police at this time are not treating the attack as terrorism-related.
A motive for the deadly violence was unclear as of Saturday night, but police said the suspect, who has not been identified, was known to them. They did not provide further details.
Albanese said the nation “offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to all those who are grieving for someone they have lost. And we send our strength to those who have been injured.”
A message from The King following the tragic stabbing incident in Bondi: pic.twitter.com/hRJud1iKtQ
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 13, 2024
The senior members of the British royal family, who are also royals in Australia, expressed their sadness over the day’s events.
In statements shared on social media, King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, said they were “utterly shocked and horrified” by the “senseless attack,” while Prince William and Kate Middleton praised the “heroic emergency responders who risked their own lives to save others.”
With News Wire Services