Police cordon off the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP
Sydney: Australian police on Saturday said they had received reports that "multiple people" were stabbed at a busy shopping centre in Sydney.
The incidents occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with Saturday afternoon shoppers.
The mall has been locked down and police have urged people to avoid the area.
New South Wales Ambulance told AFP one man had been shot dead by police. He is believed to be one of the attackers.
The motive was not immediately clear.
Eyewitnesses said there was panic at the scene, with shoppers running to safety and police trying to secure the area.
People react outside the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Photo by David GRAY / AFP
Several people took shelter in a supermarket, where they remained for about an hour.
The sound of police sirens and helicopters filled the air.
Security camera footage broadcast by local media showed a man running around the shopping centre with a large knife and injured people lying on the floor.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed shock at a knife attack that killed five people in a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday.
"For all of us tonight, the devastating scenes of Bondi Junction are beyond words or understanding," he said, adding the now-deceased attacker is believed to have acted alone.
