Extremist shot and killed after New Zealand supermarket stabbing attack
- The Sri Lankan national stabbed and wounded at least six people in a supermarket in Auckland, before being killed within 60 seconds of beginning the attack
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the man was known to police, had been in New Zealand for 10 years and was inspired by Islamic State
“A violent extremist undertook a terrorist attack on innocent New Zealanders,” Ardern told a briefing. “He obviously was a supporter of Isis ideology,” she said, referring to Islamic State.
The attacker, who was not identified, had been a “person of interest” for about five years, Ardern said, adding that he had been killed within 60 seconds of beginning his attack in the city of Auckland.
Police following the man thought he had gone into the New Lynn supermarket to do some shopping but he pulled out a large knife and started “running around like a lunatic” stabbing people, shopper Michelle Miller told the Stuff online news outlet.
A witness told The New Zealand Herald the attacker had shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).
Australia and New Zealand’s ‘mateship’ tested over terror suspect, China ties
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told the briefing the man was acting alone and police were confident there was no further threat to the public. “We were doing absolutely everything possible to monitor him and indeed the fact that we were able to intervene so quickly, in roughly 60 seconds, shows just how closely we were watching him,” Coster said.
Ardern said the reasons the attacker was known to authorities were subject to court suppression orders over legal proceedings.
New Zealand has been on alert for attacks since a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
“It was hateful, it was wrong. It was carried out by an individual, not a faith,” Ardern said. “He alone carries the responsibility for these acts. It would be wrong to direct any frustration to anyone beyond this individual.”
A video posted on social media showed shoppers in the supermarket seconds after the attacker struck.
“There’s someone here with a knife … he’s got a knife,” a woman can be heard saying. “Somebody got stabbed.”
A guard asked people to leave the shopping centre soon before about 10 quick shots rang out.
I know we have been doing everything we could … so I was absolutely gutted
Ardern said the man had not committed offences that would have led to his arrest.
“If he had committed a criminal act that would have allowed him to be in prison, that’s where he would have been. Unfortunately, he didn’t. That is why instead he was being monitored constantly, constantly, and followed,” she said.
Asked if, since authorities were aware of the man, she was disappointed when she heard news of the attack, she said: “Yes, because I know we have been doing everything we could … so I was absolutely gutted.”
Of the six wounded people, three were in critical condition, one in serious condition and two were in moderate condition, the St John ambulance service said.
Another witness, Amit Nand, told the Newshub outlet he had seen the attacker and told him to drop the knife just before police arrived.
“This undercover cop came to me … I was going to hit him … The cop is like ‘get back’ and he started shooting him,” Nand said.
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) condemned the attack, saying it has “resurrected the trauma” of the mosque shootings.
“Terrorists who do such inhumane and vile acts do not belong to any religion,” FIANZ president Ibrar Sheikh said in a statement.
“We condemn this act of terror. They act out of sheer hate, and they have no place in our country. Our first thoughts and prayers are for the victims and their families. We sympathise with their trauma and that of the bystanders who witnessed the evil act of terror.”
Gamal Fouda, imam of the Al Noor mosque, the main target of the gunman in 2019, said both white nationalists and Isis stood for hate.
“We are broken hearted but we are not broken again … We stand with the victims of the horrible incident,” he said.
