At least seven people have been killed and several seriously injured in a knife attack at a mall in Sydney, Australia, police and emergency services said.
The alleged perpetrator, who “was in contact with about nine people”, was killed by the police.
Ambulance officials in New South Wales (NSW) said at least nine people, including a nine-month-old baby, had been stabbed and taken to hospitals.
The baby was taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, while the other victims were taken to various nearby hospitals, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.
Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cook said several of the injured were in serious condition.
He said at the press conference that the police are still trying to identify the perpetrator.
“We have no information about the perpetrator. At this stage we don’t know who he is,” Cook said.
The police found no indication of any motive or ideology, although they are not ruling out the possibility of terrorism.
Police officials said emergency crews were called to the Westfield Bondi Junction mall in Sydney’s east at around 4pm local time to reports of multiple stabbings.
Eyewitnesses said that the police shot.
One of the policewomen who was nearby confronted the perpetrator.
Police said the gunman turned on her with a knife before she fired, AA writes.
