One person died and two were taken to hospital after a man stabbed them in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, reported ABC News. Police shot at the knife-wielding assailant in the chest and he is now in a critical condition in hospital.
Superintendent David Clayton said the police were informed of a car fire and were “confronted by a man brandishing a knife and threatening them”, reported The Guardian. “At the same time, passers-by were calling out that members of the public had been stabbed,” Clayton said. “Police shot the male in the chest and he is now in a critical condition under guard in hospital.”
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the police are treating the attack as “terror-related”, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also described the incident as terrorism, and added: “Australians will never be intimidated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest.”
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, the Amaq news agency reported. “The one who executed the ramming and stabbing operation in Melbourne is one of the fighters of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to [a call] to target the citizens of the coalition [in Syria],” Reuters reported the agency as saying.
Video footage circulating on social media showed a man walking towards police officers and attempting to stab them, and then falling on the ground after what sounded like a gunshot.
Clayton said the scene had been cordoned off and it was being “made safe” by a bomb response unit.
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