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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