Sydney knife attacker shot dead after killing six people in mall rampage

A nine-month-old baby was among eight people taken to hospital after the stabbing attack at Sydney's Westfield Bondi Junction mall.

SYDNEY: Six people were killed and several others injured - including a nine-month-old baby - when a knife-wielding man attacked shoppers at a busy Sydney mall on Saturday (Apr 13).

Emergency services were called to Westfield Bondi Junction just before 4pm local time.

The attacker was tracked down at the scene and shot dead by a policewoman who is being hailed as a national hero.

Eight people were taken to hospital with stab wounds, including a baby who was undergoing emergency surgery, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a press conference.

The baby's mother was among the six dead, according to local media.

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.

His motive was not immediately clear but Webb played down suggestions that it 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.

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

Police were seen trying to save victims’ lives at the sprawling six-storey mall, about 3km from Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach and popular with children and families.

Eyewitnesses said there was panic at the scene, with shoppers running to safety and police trying to secure the area.

Several people took shelter in shops as they tried to protect themselves and their families.

Ayush Singh, 25, was working in a cafe in the mall when he saw the attack and then heard gunshots as police responded.

"I saw the guy with the knife running and chasing people. As he walked just past beside me I heard two or three gunshots and the guy was neutralised," he told Reuters.

"People around me were terrified. There were some old ladies I helped to get them inside a safe place inside the cafe."

An eyewitness described the policewoman who shot the attacker. 

"If she did not shoot him, he would have kept going, he was on the rampage," said the man, who did not give his name. 

New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke said the attacker walked into the shopping centre at about 3.10pm, left and returned 10 minutes later at 3.20pm.

He moved through the mall and was tracked down by the policewoman.

"She confronted the offender, who had moved by this stage to level five as she continued to walk quickly behind him to catch up with him," Cooke said.

"He turned, faced her, raised a knife, she discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased."

One video showed a man confronting the attacker with a bollard from the top of an escalator. 

"I just saw the footage of the guy with the bollard, I reckon he’s the real hero here,” Bondi Rescue lifeguard Andy Reid, who was also shopping at the mall, told the Sydney Morning Herald. Reid also attended to a woman who was bleeding on the fourth floor.

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

"This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeting innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday, doing their shopping," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference in Canberra.

He also praised the bravery of strangers who helped each other and the policewoman who rushed headlong toward danger.

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

"Bondi Junction was the scene of shocking violence, but it was also witness to the humanity and the heroism of our fellow Australians, our brave police, our first responders and of course, everyday people who could never have imagined that they would face such a moment."

"RUNNING AND SCREAMING" 

Witnesses described scenes of panic as the knife rampage unfolded.

Pranjul Bokaria had just finished work and was doing some shopping when the stabbing occurred. She ran to a nearby shop and took 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 added.

Reece Colmenares was on her way to the gym when she saw "people running and screaming" past her.

She told AFP the people were saying someone had been stabbed so she ran into a nearby hardware shop with 10 to 12 other people

"They took us down (to a room) and closed the shop," she said. "It's scary, there are little children and elderly and people in wheelchairs everywhere."

As night fell, dozens of police and ambulances were still outside the shopping complex. The sound of police sirens and helicopters filled the air.

The mall will remain closed on Sunday while an investigation continues, police said.