Police in New Zealand shot and killed a « violent extremist » after he stabbed and wounded at least six people in an Auckland supermarket.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the incident was a « terrorist attack » carried out by a Sri Lankan national who was under police surveillance.
The man, who has not been identified, was a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Ms Ardern said.
Police killed the man within 60 seconds of the attack on Friday.
« What happened today was despicable, it was hateful it was wrong, » Ms Ardern said in a news conference. « It was carried out by an individual, not a faith. »
Of the six wounded people, three are in a critical condition and one is in a serious condition, health officials say.
« The hospital staff are doing everything they can to preserve their lives, » the mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, told the BBC.
« We’re all horrified by what’s happened. But… justice came pretty swiftly for the offender, » he added.
How did the attack unfold?
It took place at the Countdown supermarket at LynnMall in the district of New Lynn on Friday afternoon.
The attacker reportedly took a large knife from a display cabinet in the store and went on a stabbing spree. Police surveillance teams had been close by the entire time.
One witness told news outlet Stuff NZ that the supermarket was a scene of hysteria, and footage shared online showed people fleeing before the sound of gun shots could be heard.
« [People were] running out, hysterically, just screaming, yelling, scared, » the witness said, adding that he saw an elderly man lying on the ground with a stab wound.
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