SYDNEY, April  13, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Six people were killed and several
others injured -- including a nine-month-old baby -- when a knife-wielding
attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday.

Australian police said multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified
assailant, who was tracked down and shot dead by a policewoman who is being
hailed as a national hero.

The incident occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall
complex, which was packed with thousands of Saturday afternoon shoppers.

New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said five women and one man
had died. A baby was undergoing emergency surgery.

Police said the attacker is believed to be a 40-year-old man who was known
to law enforcement, but he has not yet been formally identified.

Webb played down suggestions that the attack could have been an act of
terrorism and said it is believed the attacker acted alone.

"If it is in fact the person we believe it is, then... it's not a terrorism
incident," she said.

A New South Wales Ambulance spokesperson told AFP that eight patients were
taken to various hospitals across Sydney, including the baby who was taken to
the city's Children's Hospital.

"They all have traumatic injuries," the official said.

Security camera footage showed a man wearing an Australian rugby league
jersey running around the shopping centre with a large knife.

Injured people lay lifeless on the floor, or surrounded by pools of blood.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of panic, with shoppers scrambling to safety
and police trying to secure the area.

Many people took shelter in shops, trying to protect themselves, their
families and frightened strangers.

Ayush Singh was working at a cafe inside the centre when the incident
occurred.

"I saw the whole thing in front of me," he told AFP. "I saw a lot of people
running around, I saw the guy running with the knife and people running away."

Singh helped two elderly ladies who were having a coffee to hide inside his
cafe. He heard three gunshots ring out, then saw the man lying on the ground.

"It was really scary," he said. "I've felt really safe (in Australia). I've
been here for six years. I didn't feel unsafe but now I feel scared."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the bravery of strangers who helped
each other and the woman police inspector who rushed headlong toward danger.

"She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives through
her action," Albanese said.

- 'Running and screaming' -

Pranjul Bokaria had just finished up work and was doing some shopping when
the stabbing occurred.

She ended up running to a nearby shop and taking shelter in a break room.
"It was scary, there are some people who were emotionally vulnerable and
crying," she told AFP.

She escaped using an emergency exit with other shoppers and staff, which
took them to a back street.

She described a scene of "chaos", with people running and police swarming
the area.

"I am alive and grateful," she said.

As night fell, dozens of heavily armed police and ambulances were still
outside the shopping complex, with stretchers ready to take people to nearby
hospitals.

The sound of police sirens and helicopters filled the air.
The mall has been locked down and police have urged people to avoid the
area.

Britain's King Charles III said he and his wife Queen Camilla were "utterly
shocked and horrified" by the stabbing.

Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack and sent his
"spiritual solidarity to all those affected" in a message addressed to the
archbishop of Sydney.

Such attacks are virtually unheard of in Australia, which has relatively
low rates of violent crime.