A terrible attack in Sydney. A man stabs people in a shopping center. The police stop him with a shot.
Update from April 14th, 11:02 a.m.:
The authorities in Australia are now certain: the attacker from the shopping center acted alone, the police have no indication of a terrorist motive. So far there is nothing to suggest an ideology was driving his bloody deed, a spokesman said on Sunday. What is known, however, is that the man suffered from psychological problems.
Update from April 14th, 8:36 a.m.:
Five people died at the scene of the knife attack in a Sydney shopping center, and another person died from their injuries later in hospital. And things could have been even worse had it not been for a brave police officer.
She stood alone in the perpetrator's way and stopped him with a fatal shot. In Australia she is now celebrated as a hero. An eyewitness told the
BBC
: "If she hadn't shot him, he would have carried on, he was delirious." According to reports from several witnesses, the policewoman had asked the perpetrator to put his weapon on the ground as he approached passers-by. He kept the knife in his hand, kept walking, then the shot.
Attack in Sydney shopping center: attacker kills five people
First report from April 13th, 11:23 a.m.:
Sydney - Dramatic scenes in a shopping center in the Bondi district of Sydney (Australia). A man killed five people in an attack in the metropolis. He stabbed visitors seemingly at random.
Knife attack in Sydney: Perpetrator gunned down in shopping center – motive unclear
It is currently said that he attacked around nine people. A police officer was able to catch him. A police spokesman reports that the firearm was then used.
The suspected perpetrator was shot and died, New South Wales Police Deputy Chief Anthony Cooke said at a news conference on Saturday. There is only one suspected perpetrator. There is no further danger. The police initially did not provide any information about the identity of the alleged perpetrator or a possible motive.
Emergency services were called to the busy Westfield shopping center in Sydney's east at around 3:40 p.m. (local time) on Saturday afternoon. Eyewitnesses reported that they had barricaded themselves in shops. Several posts on social media showed crowds of people outside the mall fearing for their loved ones.
Attack in Sydney shopping center: Witness reports panic – baby in hospital
Panic broke out in the shopping center, an eyewitness told the
Sydney Morning Herald
. One person shouted: “There is a man who is stabbing people!” Then she saw a group of 20 people running up an escalator.
The Australian news agency
AAP
reported that dozens of rescue workers were treating injured people on site. Several injured people were taken to hospital with stab wounds, including a nine-month-old baby. The crime is reminiscent of a shooting spree in a Texas shopping center a year ago. There a man killed several people with shots and was shot by a police officer.
(moe/dpa)