A knife attack at a busy shopping center in Sydney, Australia left six dead and at least two injured on Saturday afternoon. The rampage was the country’s deadliest act of mass violence since 2017.
Authorities said the shooter, who has not been publicly identified, was shot and killed by a police officer. There was no longer a threat to the public, police said.
Here’s what we know about the attack so far.
What happened in Sydney?
The attack took place at Westfield Bondi Junction, a popular shopping center in the eastern suburbs, an affluent area of Sydney near the coast.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as shoppers saw people running and said someone in the mall had a knife. As the gunman walked through the mall, police said, he began stabbing people.
Five people died of their injuries at the scene and one died later in hospital, police said. Among those hospitalized, some in critical condition, was a 9-month-old baby.
Multiple calls came from the mall about a stabbing, which began shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time.
The assailant was shot and killed after a police officer headed into the mall, where the knife-wielding man threw his gun at her.
Michael Dunkley, 57, who witnessed the attack, said the officer ordered the man to drop the knife. The attacker “didn’t say anything”, Mr Dunkley said. “He seemed determined.”
The motive for the attack is unclear.
Authorities have not formally identified the man, but said they believed they knew his identity and that he was in his 40s and acted alone.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the attacker’s motive was unclear, but there was no indication it was a hate crime or terror-related.
“If he is in fact the person we think he is, then we have no fear of that person having an idea — in other words, that this is not a terrorist incident,” Commissioner Webb said.
A witness described the attacker as a thin man with a beard and short hair who was wearing dark green trousers and a green shirt.
Bondi Junction is a shopping and tourist hub.
Bondi Junction is an affluent area of Sydney where tourists and beachgoers meander, shop and meet friends.
The area attracts crowds on weekends, where people can shop at luxury stores in the Westfield shopping center complex, catch a movie or buy groceries.
During a major renovation in 2005, the area was known as one of the largest shopping centers in the Southern Hemisphere.
The area is also an access point for surfers and residents from central Sydney to many of the city’s popular beaches.
The attack was a rare occurrence in Australia.
The mall stabbing was the worst act of mass violence in the country since 2017, when a man drove his car into a shopping mall in Melbourne, killing six people, after stabbing his brother and taking a woman hostage.
After a mass shooting that left 35 people dead in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur in 1996, lawmakers increased restrictions on gun ownership and standardized laws across the country.
“In this country, these things shouldn’t be happening,” Mr Dunkley said. “People come here because it’s safe.”
