On Saturday, a knife-wielding assailant rampaged through a crowded Sydney retail mall, resulting in the deaths of six people and the injury of dozens more, including a nine-month-old infant.
Australian authorities reported that the unnamed assailant attacked many people before being apprehended and shot dead by a policewoman hailed as a national hero.
The event unfolded inside the vast Westfield Bondi Junction shopping complex, bustling with hundreds of Saturday afternoon customers.
Karen Webb, the New South Wales police commissioner, confirmed the deaths of five women and one man, with an infant undergoing emergency surgery.
Although authorities suspect the attacker to be a 40-year-old male known to law enforcement, they have yet to formally identify him.
Webb denied claims of terrorism, asserting that the perpetrator likely acted alone.
According to a spokeswoman for New South Wales Ambulance, eight people, including the infant, were transported to hospitals across Sydney, all with severe injuries.
Security cameras captured a man wearing an Australian rugby league shirt sprinting around the retail mall with a huge knife.
Wounded individuals lay motionless on the floor or in pools of their own blood.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene as customers scrambled for safety while police attempted to clear the area.
Many sought refuge in stores, hoping to protect themselves, their families, and terrified strangers.
Ayush Singh, on duty at a café within the complex, recounted witnessing the events firsthand.
“I saw a lot of people rushing around, I saw the guy running with the knife and people running away,” he told AFP. Singh assisted two elderly women who were drinking coffee to hide inside his café. He heard three gunshots and saw the man lying on the ground.
“It was really scary,” he said. “I’ve felt really safe (in Australia). I have been here for six years. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, but now I’m afraid.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the bravery of strangers who assisted one another, as well as the lady police inspector who went headfirst into danger.
“She is undoubtedly a hero,” Albanese added. “There is no doubt that she saved lives with her actions.”
Pranjul Bokaria had just left work and was out shopping when the incident occurred. She sought refuge in a nearby store, hiding in a break room.
“It was scary,” she told the AFP news agency. “There are some people who were emotionally vulnerable and crying.”
She escaped through an emergency exit with other shoppers and personnel, leading to a back street.
Subsequently, authorities closed the mall, and police advised visitors to avoid the area.
British King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla were “utterly shocked and horrified” by the attack.