One killed, two injured in Melbourne knife attack

World
Europe

00:45

At least one person was killed and two others were injured in a knife attack in downtown Melbourne on Friday, as Australian police are treating the case as an act of terror.

Police have locked down the area in the center of Melbourne's business district where several people were attacked and a car was set on fire during rush hour on Friday, according to multiple reports.

"Three people have been stabbed. Unfortunately, one of them is deceased at the scene," Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton told reporters.

A video from the scene shows a man trying to stab a policeman near a burning vehicle.

The suspect was then shot by a policeman and sent to the hospital, according to police.

The suspect was originally from Somalia and was known to intelligence authorities, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters at a presser, adding that the car of the suspect was packed with gas bottles.

ISIL said one of its members carried out the attack, the extremist group's Amaq news website said.

9139km