At Least 6 Dead After Mass Stabbing In Sydney—Here’s What We Know
Anthony Cooke, assistant commissioner for the New South Wales Police, said a suspect—identified as a 40-year-old man—“caused harm” to at least nine people around 3:20 p.m. local time Saturday at a shopping mall in Bondi Junction, a suburb of Sydney.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said four women and one man died at the scene, while eight people were taken to nearby hospitals, including a woman who later died and a 9-month-old baby who was undergoing emergency surgery.
The suspect—who was killed by police—was “known to law enforcement,” though his identity has not been confirmed, Webb said, adding police “don’t have fears” the attack was a “terrorism incident.”
An investigation into the attack will be “ongoing for many, many days” as police work to understand the suspect’s motive, according to Webb.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said of the attack: “This was a horrific act of violence indiscriminately targeted at the innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday, doing their shopping.”
TANGENT
Britain’s Royal Family have reacted to the attack, including King Charles III, who said he and Queen Camilla were “utterly shocked and horrified” by the “senseless attack.” Prince William and Kate Middleton said they were “shocked and saddened by the terrible events.” Charles is king of Australia as the country is in the Commonwealth realm.
KEY BACKGROUND
The attack is Australia’s deadliest act of mass violence since 2017, when a driver drove into pedestrians in Melbourne, killing six people and injuring more than 20 others. In 2018, a gunman killed two hostages after holding 18 people hostage in Sydney. Australia’s worst mass shooting occurred in 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Within weeks after that attack, the Australian government implemented strict gun laws that placed a complete ban on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, among other restrictions.
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