In Sydney, an unknown person attacked visitors to a shopping centre, killing 6 people
The attacker was shot dead by police, but it is unclear whether he was alone
An unidentified man attacked visitors to the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney. Several people were stabbed and hundreds of people were evacuated.
Six people were killed and several others were injured in the attack. The attacker, if there was one, was shot dead by a police officer.
"Shortly before 4pm, reports of several stabbing victims were received from the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre and emergency services were dispatched," the New South Wales Police said in a statement.
CCTV footage shown by local media shows a man running around the mall with a large knife, with injured people lying on the floor.
Two eyewitnesses told Reuters they heard gunfire. Another said he saw a woman lying on the ground, who later took refuge in a jewellery store.
🚨A terrorist in Sidney Mall, running at people with a knife.
– AJ Huber (@Huberton) April 13, 2024
Multiple people were stabbed, including a nine-month-old baby.pic.twitter.com/Lze4Uq1JsC
A police statement said the operation was ongoing, but gave no details.
The footage posted on social media shows police and other emergency vehicles gathering at the shopping centre, with people scattering.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that "chaos and madness" reigned in the shopping centre, with "screams, shouts and people running around".
One of the visitors to the shopping centre said that he saw a female police officer and followed her, and then noticed that a person armed with a "large blade" was heading their way.
"I just heard her tell him to put the weapon down. And then she shot him. If she hadn't shot him, he would have kept running, he was on the run," the eyewitness said.
According to the man, it looked like the man came to kill. He himself saw two bodies, a man and a woman, near the wedding salon.
Another visitor to the shopping centre said she saw a crowd of people running and heard a gunshot.
"A man dragged us into the Adairs store where we locked ourselves inside and stayed there until the police came to get us."
The Prime Minister of Australia said he had been informed of the incident and expressed his condolences to the victims and thanked the first responders.
Westfield Bondi Junction, one of Australia's largest shopping malls, was packed with shoppers on Saturday afternoon. The shopping centre is currently on lockdown and police are urging people to avoid the area.
Media reports indicate that one man was shot dead by police, presumably one of the attackers.
The motive for the attack is not yet clear.
If you have read this article to the end, we hope that means it was useful for you.
We work to ensure that our journalistic and analytical work is of high quality, and we strive to perform it as competently as possible. This also requires financial independence. Support us for only UAH 196 per month.
Become a Mind subscriber for just USD 5 per month and support the development of independent business journalism!
You can unsubscribe at any time in your LIQPAY account or by sending us an email: [email protected]
