A man went on a stabbing rampage in downtown Sydney on Tuesday, killing one woman and wounding another before he was restrained by members of the public.
Australian police said he was yelling "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," as he attempted to stab several people in downtown Sydney on Tuesday before he was arrested.
The 21-year-old man, whom police did not name, was carrying a knife as well as a computer thumb drive containing information about deadly attacks in North America and New Zealand, police said. But he did not appear to be acting in the name of any terrorist group, they noted.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
"At the end of the day, it's a horrendous crime and he should pay for that," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told reporters.
A 21-year-old woman was found dead in an apartment building and a second woman, 41, was taken to the hospital with a stab wound to her back. She was in stable condition, police said.
They did not say how the first woman died but said that the man was responsible for both attacks. There was no apparent link between the two women.
Police were investigating a home about 20 miles west of the city where the young man lived with his parents.
The was expected to be charged with homicide, assault and, depending on the outcome of the investigation, potential terrorism offenses, Fuller said.
The incident brought downtown traffic to a halt in Australia's biggest city. Video images on Twitter showed a young man running across an intersection and jumping onto a car hood, yelling and waving what appeared to be a long-bladed knife.
The violent attack that took place in Sydney this afternoon is deeply concerning. The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to able to restrain him.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) 13 באוגוסט 2019
The man fell to the ground when the car moved and he was confronted by a person holding a chair, a video showed. Several people appeared to be holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him in an attempt to restrain him.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised those who stopped the assailant.
"The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to ... restrain him," he said.
State police minister David Elliott also praised the people who restrained the man.
This is how Sydneysiders respond," he said. "If you want to behave in this sort of manner, if you want to put life and property at risk, it's not just the police who will respond."
