Sylvie Claire / September 3, 2021
A man close to the Islamic State jihadist group stabbed six people in an Auckland supermarket on Friday before being killed by police who had him under surveillance, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
The man, a Sri Lankan who arrived in New Zealand in 2011 and was on an anti-terrorist watch list, walked into a suburban Auckland shopping mall, grabbed a knife from a display case and began stabbing passersby, Jacinda Ardern recounted.
According to the Prime Minister, six people were injured, three of them seriously, before police officers guarding him opened fire within a minute of the attack. What happened today was despicable, it was hateful, it was wrong, she said, adding that the act was not representative of any religion or community.
Asked about the motivations of the attacker, she explained: it is a violent ideology and inspired by the Islamic State group. Ms. Ardern assured that she could not say everything publicly about the man, who had been under surveillance since 2016 after a court decision.
Authorities believe the man acted alone and that the public is no longer at risk, said Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
New Zealand experienced its worst terrorist attack in March 2019 in Christchurch, when a white supremacist opened fire at two mosques, killing 51 people and injuring 40 others.