A man stabbed three people in the Australian city of Melbourne on Friday, killing one, before being shot and wounded by police, who said the attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Australian police said Friday the suspect was originally from Somalia and was known to intelligence authorities.
“We are now treating this as a terrorism event,” said Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, adding that the suspect is “someone that is known to us” and had been travelling in a 4×4 vehicle packed with bottles of gas.
The Islamic State group later claimed the attack via its propaganda agency. It provided no evidence for the claim.
Video posted to Twitter and broadcast on television showed the suspect swinging a knife at two police officers in the city’s crowded downtown area, while a car burned in the background.
One of the officers then shot the man, who collapsed to the ground clutching his chest, the video showed. Other footage showed two victims lying on the ground nearby and bleeding.
“Three people have been stabbed, unfortunately one of them is deceased at the scene,” David Clayton, police superintendent of Victoria state, told reporters.