One person was killed and others treated for stab wounds after a truck caught on fire and a man started attacking people with a knife in Melbourne’s business district Friday.
Australian police said the pickup truck that caught fire in the country’s second-largest city contained several barbeque gas cylinders and was part of an apparent terrorist attack.
Police said the driver got out of the vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife. Police shot the suspected attacker in the chest, leaving him in critical condition as he was taken to the hospital.
In total, three people were stabbed and one died at the scene.
Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the attacker was from Somalia and known to the authorities, mostly because of family members who were “persons of interest” to police.
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Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was “an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today.”
A single individual was arrested after the incident.
Tweets posted in the area showed a car on fire and smoke reaching up into the sky.
— With files from the Associated Press
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