In a “terrorist assault” on a supermarket in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn on Friday, officials claim they shot and killed an ISIS supporter who had wounded at least six people before being slain by police.
He was a Sri Lankan national who had lived in New Zealand for 10 years and was motivated by the Islamic State terrorist organisation, according to Ardern. He was being closely watched at all times, she said.
The assailant, who has not been named, had been a “person of interest” for about five years, Ardern said, adding that he was dead within 60 seconds of launching his assault in the city of Auckland, which she described as “horrifying.”
Following the guy inside the New Lynn supermarket, police thought he was there to do some shopping, and he then grabbed the knife from a display and started stabbing people, as per customer Michelle Miller, whom told the Stuff online news site that he was “running around like a lunatic.”
It was reported by The New Zealand Herald that the assailant yelled “Allahu akbar” throughout the assault (God is greatest). Commissioner Andrew Coster said at a press conference that the guy was acting alone and that police were convinced that there was no additional danger to the public.
