New Zealand police shot dead a man after he entered an Auckland supermarket and stabbed multiple people in an "ISIS-inspired" terrorist attack on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Details: Authorities said six people were taken to hospital, three with critical injuries, after the stabbing at the supermarket in LynnMall shopping center. The attacker was a known "violent extremist," Ardern said at a briefing.
- "The terrorist is a Sri Lankan national who arrived in 2011," Ardern said, noting he came to security services' attention in 2016.
- Ardern said he was being constantly monitored as he could not legally be imprisoned, and that police were nearby when the attack happened.
- New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said in an emailed statement police believe the man "took a knife from one of the supermarket shelves" and then stabbed the shoppers about 2:30p.m local time.
- Police shot him less than a minute later.
The big picture: Auckland is under New Zealand's strictest lockdown level due to a COVID-19 outbreak of the Delta variant. Most businesses are closed under level 4, but grocery stores are among those allowed to open because they're an essential service.
- The rest of the country has moved to level 3 restrictions, as authorities say community case numbers, mostly in Auckland, are trending downward.
Of note: This was the second terrorist attack to hit New Zealand in just over two years, after a white supremacist killed 51 Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Christchurch.
- Asked about concerns of a backlash against New Zealand's Muslim community, Ardern said it "would be absolutely wrong" to "direct any frustration at anyone beyond this individual."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
