In Auckland, New Zealand, a sympathizer of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) injured six people with a knife in a supermarket, three of them seriously.
According to the police, the perpetrator was shot dead by emergency services within 60 seconds.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference that the "violent extremist" was a well-known sympathizer of the Islamist terrorist militia who was already under constant police surveillance.
The officers followed him when he took a knife in the supermarket in the suburb of New Lynn and attacked bystanders.
"This was a violent attack on innocent New Zealanders," said Ardern.
"What happened today was despicable, hateful and wrong."
Till Fähnders
Political Correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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According to the information, it is a lone perpetrator.
No further danger is therefore assumed from possible further terrorists.
The attacker, who comes from Sri Lanka, has lived in New Zealand since 2011 and has been known to the police since 2016.
Further details about the man are not yet published due to a court order, said the prime minister.
Tat brings back memories of the Christchurch attack
She assured the population that the government had used all “legal and surveillance powers” to protect people from the attacker. She warned against making entire sections of the population responsible for the crime. "They were carried out by an individual, not a belief, culture or ethnicity, but an individual person," said Ardern. The perpetrator was in the grip of an ideology that is not supported by anyone in New Zealand.
In the country, the attack brings back memories of the serious terrorist attack by an Australian racist on two mosques in Christchurch in March 2019, which left 51 dead and 50 injured. At that time, Ardern had been praised by many people for her empathic and determined reaction. After the attack in Auckland, she gave assurances that the Muslim community in New Zealand was ready to help and support the authorities. It would be wrong to hold anyone other than the perpetrator responsible for the attack. According to police commissioner Andrew Coster, the perpetrator had been observed because of his extremist ideology. He currently saw no reason to criticize the police. "Even if you are monitoring someone around the clock, in reality it is not possible to be right by their side at all times," said Coster.