At least six people were killed and multiple people were sent to hospital with injuries after a stabbing attack at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.
UPDATE 1330: Police have confirmed that a 38-year-old mother was among the six killed in a mass stabbing in a Sydney shopping mall on Saturday and that her nine-month-old has undergone surgery after suffering stab wounds, Nine News reports. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed that four other women and a man were killed during the attack. Webb said that police have yet to “formally” identify the slain suspected stabber, but that they believe he was “known” to law enforcement. No motive for the attack has been made public as of this reporting.
The original story continues as follows…
Police shot a male suspect after going on a rampage with a knife at a shopping mall in Bondi Junction, Sydney at around 4 pm local time. Police have so far not released any suspected motive for the attack, which saw six killed and at least nine sent to hospital.
“From preliminary inquiries, it would appear that this person has acted alone,” Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said per the Sydney Morning Herald. “I am content that there is no continuing threat.”
“There is nothing that we are aware of at the scene that would indicate any motive or any ideology.”
Cooke said that the suspected stabber was confronted by a female police inspector, who shot and killed the man, saying: “He turned, faced her, raised a knife. She discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased.”
Police enter the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Australian police on April 13 said they had received reports that “multiple people” were stabbed at a busy shopping centre in Sydney. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Video footage purportedly from the attack appeared to show a young, bearded man wearing a rugby shirt and carrying a knife as shoppers fled in panic.
A young child was reportedly among those injured during the attack, with two brothers telling Nine News that they had helped a woman and her baby, both of whom, they said, were stabbed.
According to the Herald, Australian Federal Police have been brought in to consult with the local New South Wales Police and would activate a joint counter terrorism team if needed. The paper reported that police officers from throughout the capital are likely to be deployed with the large crime scene likely taking multiple days to process.
Paramedics are seen with stretchers outside the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Australian police on April 13 said they had received reports that “multiple people” were stabbed at a busy shopping centre in Sydney. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Responding to the attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeted at innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping.”
“Our 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.”
“Today at Bondi Junction was the scene of shocking violence, but it was also witness to the humanity and the heroism of our fellow Australians, our brave police, our first responders and of course, everyday people who could never have imagined that they would face such a moment,” Albanese said.
“For these Australians, their first instinct in the face of danger was to help someone else. That is what we hold on to tonight as Australians.”
This story is developing…