Australia: what we know about the knife attack that left at least six dead in a Sydney shopping center
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
A movement of panic, people fleeing for shelter. On Saturday April 13, an assailant attacked passers-by with a knife in a crowded shopping center in Sydney, Australia’s economic capital, killing at least six people. “This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeting innocent people on an ordinary Saturday while they were out shopping.” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday during a press conference broadcast by ABC News. Franceinfo takes stock of what we know about this attack.
The scene took place in the Westfield center in Bondi Junction, south-east of Sydney, “a little before 4 p.m.”traced the local police on Facebook. At that time, the complex was crowded. “Emergency services were called to Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center following reports of several people stabbed”, she clarified. The police then called on the population to avoid the area.
On video surveillance images broadcast by Australian media, we see a man with a large knife running in the shopping center, and injured people lying on the ground. Other videos circulating on social media show bystanders trying to confront the attacker, who was eventually shot dead by police.
“It was scary, there were people crying”, Pranjul Bokaria, who was shopping, told AFP. She took refuge in a nearby store, before escaping through a fire exit onto the street, with other customers and employees. Another client, Reece Colmenares, was on her way to the gym when she saw “people running and screaming” that someone had been stabbed. She took refuge in a hardware store with around ten people. “It’s scary, there were small children, elderly people and people in wheelchairs”she reported.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “pleinevie“
