MELBOURNE — A man wielding a knife stabbed three people in Melbourne Friday, killing one of them in what Australian police are treating as an act of terrorism.
Witnesses reported a loud explosion from a car on a busy city center street. The car burst into flames before a man emerged and began attacking people in the street, police said.
When police arrived, the man punched one of the officers through their patrol car window, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters Friday. He lunged at them with a knife when they got out of the vehicle. One of the officers shot him in the chest.
The suspect was rushed to the hospital under police guard ad later died, Ashton told reporters. Gas canisters were later found in the car.
Police said they knew the identify of the suspect but declined to name him due to “operational reasons.” He was known to authorities because some of his family members were “persons of interest,” Ashton said.
Only after he was shot did police realize that three members of the public, all men, had been stabbed. One died in the hospital, Ashton said. Two are being treated for their injuries.
The investigation is still in its early stages, but Ashton said police do not believe there is a “ongoing threat.”
After putting out the fire in the car, authorities found what Ashton described as “barbecue-style” bottles of gasoline inside the vehicle, which prompted authorities to call the bomb response unit to the scene.
“This is an evil and terrifying thing that has happened,” Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said alongside Ashton.
Center of Melbourne
Streets were closed, trams halted and nearby buildings evacuated as police rushed to the scene, which was crowded with shoppers and commuters late on Friday afternoon local time.
“It’s the center of Melbourne, where a lot of the transportation changes over … it’s probably the busiest part of Melbourne and late on a Friday,” said Meegan May who witnessed part incident from a nearby tram.
“It’s basically a commuter hub and a central shopping district as well.”
May said she was taking the tram into the city center when she heard someone shout “he has a knife.” She then turned around to see a vehicle on fire.
A handful of videos and images uploaded to social media appear to show the man attempting to stab police before he is shot.
“There was a massive flame and bang, just smoke and lots of people,” witness Shelley Reid told CNN affiliate Nine News.
Police have asked members of the public to send images and video of the incident in order to help with their investigation.
Melbourne also would have likely had more tourists in town because of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, one of the city’s most popular social events that draws visitors from around the country. Though the main race was Tuesday, there are events scheduled until Saturday.
The Friday incident took place blocks away from Flinders Street Railway Station, where a driver plowed into pedestrians last year, injuring 18.
