Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the Melbourne hostage attack that left the gunman and another man dead.

'The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states,' the group's Amaq news agency said.

IS blamed the attack on Australia's membership in the US-led coalition against the militant group.

The gunman at the centre of the incident has been named in the media as Yacqub Khayre who was acquitted over the Holsworthy terror plot in 2009.

On Monday afternoon, the Seven Network took a phone call in its Melbourne newsroom from a woman who said she was in a hostage situation before man came on the line saying 'This is for IS, this is for al-Qaeda'.

Victoria Police are investigating the incident at Brighton on Monday evening as a potential terror incident.

'The reasons for that are that this person has a background in relation to terrorism matters, albeit some years ago,' Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told Nine on Tuesday morning.

He said there had been no information that he had been planning an attack.

'He is someone certainly known to us from his background but certainly as of yesterday there wasn't anything that we had that suggested that he was planning on embarking on this, that this was anything more than a spontaneous act.'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Mr Ashton will hold a press conference at 8.30am on Tuesday to address fears of a terror link.

Sources told the Herald Sun he was rated as 'a low-risk person of interest' by anti-terror police.

Khayre was acquitted over the terror plot to launch a suicide attack against Sydney's Holsworthy army barracks in 2009 after a trial in 2010.

In 2007, he was charged with armed robbery after holding up passengers on a Melbourne train, leaving one man with knife wounds.

Police were called to the Brighton serviced apartment building at 5.41pm on Monday to reports of an explosion.

When they arrived, they found a man apparently shot dead in the foyer.

They began efforts to negotiate with the gunman who was holding a woman hostage in one of the apartments.

Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Monday night that the man spoken to by negotiators inside the building came out about 6pm and opened fire, hitting three police.

They returned fire and killed him.

Two male officers were taken to hospital for treatment while another was treated at the scene. </s> Melbourne police say they are treating yesterday's shooting and hostage situation as terrorism after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the siege, in which a man was killed, several police were injured and a woman was held against her will.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the gunman, who the ABC understand was Yacqub Khayre, was known to police and had a long criminal history.

"We are treating it as a terrorism incident," Commissioner Ashton told ABC News Breakfast.

He said the gunman "had been involved in a terrorism matter up in New South Wales back in 2009".

IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack in Melbourne was carried out by one of its "soldiers".

"The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states," the statement said.

The gunman, believed to be Yacqub Khayre, was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay St in Brighton, while a woman was held hostage.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp told media on Monday night police were investigating reports of a phone call made to the Channel 7 newsroom by someone referencing Islamic State.

"That's all part of the investigation at this point in time as to who made that phone call, but we will certainly be working with Channel 7 in relation to that phone call," he said.

The siege began just after 4:00pm when emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at the apartment building.

Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer.

Just before 6:00pm, a man left the building and shot at police, who returned fire and killed him.

Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out. All sustained non-life threatening injuries.

A woman who was held hostage by the man was rescued.

'We all hit the deck'

Police have not named the gunman.

Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation.

"I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said.

"I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary.

"We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on."

More to come. </s> (CNN) An armed standoff in Melbourne, Australia, which left one civilian dead and two police in hospital was a “terrorist incident,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters Tuesday.

The Australian leader said the attack in the suburb of Brighton had “shocked all Australians.”

“This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime. It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant,” he said.

One man was killed and three police officers shot after a standoff at an apartment building in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters a woman had been held hostage in an apartment Monday.

Later, police said they were aware of a claim from ISIS that one of its “soldiers” carried out the attack.

“Police are aware of the claim and it will form part of the investigation,” Victoria Police senior media officer Natalie Webster said.

ISIS issued the claim through its Amaq News Agency in Arabic and English.

Police were called to the scene after emergency calls reported loud bangs or explosions, Crisp said, adding no detonations had been confirmed.

Once law enforcement arrived at the apartment block shortly after 4 p.m. local time, they found a man dead on the lobby floor with a gunshot wound.

A second man was holding a woman against her will in one of the apartments. Police earlier said they attempted to negotiate with him but Crisp said later he was not aware of any contact with the gunman.

Two hours later, the gunman unexpectedly left the apartment and began firing at police. Three male officers were shot before the assailant was gunned down. Their injuries aren’t life-threatening, police said.

Brighton is a suburban area in eastern Melbourne, known for its affluent residents and close proximity to the beaches of Port Philip Bay.

Roads around the area were closed throughout the standoff and will remain closed for some time, police said. </s> Two men are dead in Melbourne, Australia after an incident in which a woman was taken hostage.

Police arrived at the Bay St apartment building in Brighton at 4pm (local time) today to find the body of the man in the foyer.

In a statement Victoria Police say another man has been shot dead by police in the apartment.

They say the woman being held against her will was safely rescued.

Three police officers sustained non-life threatening injuries during the incident.

According to Seven News a man called the television network and said "This is for IS, this is for Al Qaeda".

Local media reported an explosion was heard at the scene.

Police say they are "investigating whether the incident is terrorism related". </s> Brighton siege: Melbourne police launch terror probe, investigate if escort was used to lure officers

Updated

Police are investigating whether the Brighton siege gunman took an escort worker hostage in a bid to lure officers into a deadly ambush.

Key points: One man was killed, a woman was taken hostage and three police were injured before the gunman was shot dead

Islamic State said one of its "soldiers" was responsible, but police questioned links with the group

The gunman, Yacqub Khayre, had a history of violent crime but was on parole

Gunman Yacqub Khayre injured three officers during a shoot-out that ended in his death at an apartment building in Melbourne's Bayside area on Monday afternoon.

The 29-year-old, who has an extensive criminal history and was released on parole in December, had made a booking with the escort worker, taken her hostage and killed a man who was working at the building.

Police said it was possible Khayre, from Roxburgh Park in Melbourne's north, may have been attempting to lure police by taking the escort hostage.

"We still don't know exactly whether that was the case," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said.

"Certainly [there was] a booking made to see an escort at the premises. He's then turned up at the premises with a firearm, that's all being weighed into the calculations.

"We haven't found anything like a note or any comment around that.

"At this stage it's just too early to know how random this was in terms of whether it was something that he was planning or thinking about, whether police were the target or he's seized the opportunity he thought was presented to him."

Corrections Victoria confirmed Khayre, who had a history of drug abuse, had been fitted with an electronic monitoring device as part of his parole conditions when he was released to ensure that he kept to a 10:00pm curfew.

An alert that the device had been tampered with was received on Monday about 4:00pm, a Corrections spokesman said.

The authorities monitoring the device contacted police and the offender's parole officer.

Channel 7 reported its newsroom received a phone call shortly before the shoot-out from a man who said: "This is for IS. This is for Al Qaeda."

It also reported a distressed woman could be heard on the line, before the man said, "This is the Brighton hostage".

How the siege unfolded: Emergency services respond to reports of an explosion just after 4:00pm

Officers discover the body of a man in the foyer of the building

A woman calls triple-0 to say she is being held hostage

A man calls Channel 7 and says: "This is for IS. This is for Al Qaeda."

Yacqub Khayre, 29, leaves the apartment and starts firing at officers, injuring three

Khayre is shot dead by officers



Khayre was charged and acquitted by a jury over a plot to attack the Holsworthy Army barracks in Sydney in 2009.

Three of his co-accused were found guilty of planning the terrorist attack as payback for Australia's military action in the Middle East.

Earlier, the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for yesterday's siege.

He also killed a man working at the apartment building, who police said was an Australian citizen born in China.

Commissioner Ashton said the siege was being treated as a "terrorism incident", but warned that IS's claim was "the sort of thing they jump up and say a lot" and there was no evidence to indicate Khayre was acting on a message from overseas.

"[Khayre] has a long criminal history with us, but also from what we're piecing together comments he made related to ISIS and Al Qaeda certainly for us put this in the terrorism category," he said.

"We don't yet know if this was something he was really planning or whether it was just an ad hoc decision that he's made just to go off tap like this."

Khayre 'known to have connections' with extremism

Commissioner Ashton said Khayre was released on parole late last year after serving jail time for unrelated offences.

"He has recently done some jail time, he got out late last year and has been on parole at the time of this offending last night," he said.

"This person wasn't someone around which we had major concerns at this time, and we had nothing to suggest [he was planning] what he did suddenly decide to do."

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had raised "grave questions" with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews about the state's parole laws.

"[Khayre] was known to have connections, at least in the past, with violent extremism. He was a known, violent offender," Mr Turnbull said.

Mr Andrews said the state had the country's toughest parole laws and there were about 800 fewer people out on parole since a recent review.

Police this morning searched a Roxburgh Park home, where Khayre had been living with his mother, and seized computers and electronics.

IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack was carried out by one of its "soldiers".

Stand-off began with reports of explosion, man killed

Khayre was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay Street in Brighton.

Commissioner Ashton confirmed the call received by Channel 7 was being investigated.

The siege began just after 4:00pm when emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at the apartment building.

Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer.

Commissioner Ashton confirmed the man worked at the apartment building, and said he was "at the wrong place, at the wrong time".

Just before 6:00pm, Khayre left the building and fired at police with a shotgun, who returned fire and killed him.

Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out.

All sustained non-life threatening injuries. Two had hand injuries and one was injured in the neck.

A woman, in her 20s, who was held hostage by Khayre was rescued.

Police confirmed she was an escort worker, whom Khayre had called.

Police believe gunman acted alone

Commissioner Ashton said police did not have any information to suggest there was any ongoing threat to the community.

"There is nothing that we've found thus far that would suggest to us that this was anything that was planned, or done in concert with others," he said.

"We believe at this stage that he was acting alone and there isn't an ongoing threat in relation to any plot or anything around this individual.

"He hasn't been someone who has been a major concern in relation to terrorism aspects. It's more general criminal offending he's been involved with.

"So there really wasn't anything sitting there in recent times that suggested he was about to do this from an intelligence point of view."

Jacinta Carroll, who heads the Counter-terrorism Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Amaq's use of the term "soldier" when referring to the attack suggested Khayre was not directly involved with IS.

"That's the language they use when they have confirmed the person appears to align with an Islamist extremist ideology, but they weren't involved in it," she said.

Mr Turnbull said Australia's terror threat level remained "probable".

'We all hit the deck'

Icy Agustsson, who lives two houses away from the Roxburgh Park property, said he saw the gunman speaking to his mother last week.

He said he had no idea about Khayre's criminal history.

"They seemed friendly," he said.

"I don't talk much to them because they kept to themselves. People do keep to themselves in this area."

Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the Brighton serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation.

"I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said.

"I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary.

"We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on."

Topics: crime, terrorism, police, brighton-3186, melbourne-3000, vic

First posted </s> The gunman, who has been named by police as Yacqub Khayre, took a woman hostage in an apartment building in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday night. Khayre was shot dead by police when he opened fire on officers with a sawn-off shotgun, wounding three officers. The body of another man, who was an employee of the serviced apartments, was discovered when police entered the building.

Police said the gunman arranged to meet the woman he held hostage at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton after booking her services through an escort agency. Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC: “At the scene, when this person’s first arrived there, a man was shot, we believe, by the gunman. “He was an employee of the serviced apartments, so he appears to have been in the wrong place at, unluckily, the wrong time.” Authorities have confirmed they are treating the siege as an “act of terror”.

ISIS published a statement saying the attack had been carried out by one of its twisted jihadis. The Amaq news agency reported: “The attack in Melbourne, Australia, was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states.” Meanwhile, the Seven Network reported the gunman called the organisation saying “This is for ISIS. This is for al-Qaeda.”

Yet this claim appears to conflict with ISIS’s claim of direct responsibility and New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, a renowned terror correspondent. Mr Callimachi said the incident appeared to fit a pattern where ISIS fanatics took matters into their own hands without necessarily receiving direct instructions from the barbaric terror cell. The siege began at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton on Tuesday evening after a female hostage, believed to be in her 20s, made an emergency call to tell officer se was being held against her will and a man had been killed. Heavily armed police rushed to the scene and after a standoff, Khayre was shot dead. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described the attack as “shocking and cowardly”.

Speaking to reporters, he added: “It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism.” Khayre was on parole at the time of the attack and was jailed for an armed robbery. His time in custody was extended for poor behaviour in prison. In 2009, he was acquitted of involvement in a terrorist plot targeting the Holsworthy army barracks in 2009. Mr Turnbull said there were “very grave” questions that must be answered. </s> Australian police on Monday shot dead a man who took a woman hostage in a Melbourne apartment after the body of another man was found in the building's lobby. The woman escaped safely but three officers were injured as police stormed the building, an AFP report said.

"Police have resolved a hostage situation at an apartment block in Brighton (Melbourne suburb)," Victoria state police said in a statement. "A man has been shot dead by police in the Bay Street apartment complex shortly before 6 pm. Police have safely rescued a woman who was being held against her will in the apartment block," the statement said.

Police were responding to reports of an explosion at the apartment earlier in the day when they found the body of a man in the foyer.

"Another man was earlier found dead with a gunshot wound in the lobby of the serviced apartment building just after 4 pm," the police said.

According to reports, the emergency services, including SES crews, were called to the scene just after the explosion.

Police said it appeared the man in the foyer was shot dead and specialist police attempted to negotiate with a man in one of the apartments. "Police were attempting to negotiate with a man in one of the apartments," the spokeswoman told IANS.

According to India Today TV channel, 40 rounds of gunfire and a loud explosion were heard on Bay Street.

"Victoria Police specialist units are currently on the scene. Roads are closed in the vicinity and we urge the community to avoid the area," the spokesperson added.

A report by ABC onlinesaid police are investigating whether the incident is terrorism related. </s> THE Islamic State terror group says one of its fighters carried out a knife attack in Melbourne yesterday in which one man died and two were wounded.

The group's Amaq news website provided no evidence for the claim.

"The one who executed the ramming and stabbing operation in Melbourne (..) is one of the fighters of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to (a call) to target the citizens of the coalition," Amaq said overnight.

The text was referring to a call in August by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to "use bombs, knives or cars to carry out attacks" in countries taking part in the US-led coalition that put an end to the caliphate he declared in 2014 over parts of Iraq and Syria.

The attacker in Melbourne was shot by police after he set fire to a ute laden with gas cylinders in the centre of Melbourne and stabbed three people, killing one. The attacker died later in hospital.

Police are now treating the stabbing attack in Melbourne's Bourke St as a terrorism incident.

The knifeman, a 31-year-old Somali-born from Melbourne's north-western suburbs, died in hospital last night after being shot in the chest by police.

The Herald Sun, on its Twitter page, said the terrorist's wife "was missing and is believed to have been radicalised". They say Victoria Police are searching for her.

In a press conference yesterday afternoon Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the man who is alleged to have stabbed three people, killing one, was known to Victoria Police and federal intelligence authorities.

"We are now treating this as a terrorism incident," he said.

Commissioner Ashton revealed the man came to Australia from Somalia in the 1990s and had relatives known to police from a "terrorism perspective".

"He's got family associations that are well known to us," he said.

There were some reports that the man yelled "Allahu Akbar" during the attack but Commissioner Ashton said this had not been confirmed.

The attacker had a record of some minor offences including for cannabis use, theft and driving offences.

The man caused chaos in the Melbourne CBD on Friday afternoon after allegedly stabbing three men. One man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. Some witnesses say he was stabbed in the face.

A 26-year-old and a 58-year-old were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police officers also received minor injuries, one of them from being punched, and some cuts and scratches.

Police have not yet revealed the identity of the attacker or the other man who died.

But The Herald Sun has named the attacker as Mohamed Khalif, who also reportedly goes by the name Hassan Shire.

Bourke St is in lockdown from Swanston St to Russell St and is expected to remain closed until as late as 8am this morning as police investigate.

The Herald Sun is reporting one of the men injured in the attack was Rodney Patterson and his wife Maree posted on Facebook that he was "doing OK given the circumstances".

"Unfortunately we got caught up in the attack in Bourke Street this afternoon and Rodney was hurt - good news is he is in a great hospital and doing OK given the circumstances - can't take calls at the moment but will speak to everyone when I can," she wrote.

"Thanks to everyone for their wishes and caring."

In light of the attack police are doing security assessments of events happening in Melbourne this weekend and extra police may be present but the Commissioner said there was no ongoing threat they were aware of.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews condemned the incident and thanked the police and brave bystanders who had risked their lives to stop the knifeman.

"This is an evil, terrifying thing that's happened in our city and state today," Mr Andrew said.

"We condemn it. We also take this opportunity to thank those very brave and dedicated members of Victoria Police who did all of us proud in their very quick response in very dangerous circumstances. They've done each and every one of us proud.

"Equally, those strangers, people who were bystanders who knew nobody involved, who stepped in without a moment's hesitation, to render support and assistances."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had been briefed about the incident and state and federal agencies were working together.

"I condemn the act of terrorism in Melbourne today that has tragically taken the life of a fellow Australian who has died as a result of this evil and cowardly attack," he said in a statement.

"Australians will never be intimated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest."

The incident began when the man drove a 4WD into the city about 4.10pm and it was set on fire. Commissioner Ashton confirmed there were some barbecue-style gas cylinders in the car that had to be rendered safe by the bomb response unit.

It's unclear whether the car was set on fire before or after the man left the vehicle.

According to the ABC, witnesses saw the man crash the car, get out and throw an object into the car that set it alight.

Commissioner Ashton said after the car was set on fire, the man interacted with some members of the public before police arrived.

The man then punched one of the officers through the window of the car. Two other officers got out of the police vehicle and attempted to engage him but the man used a knife to try and attack them. One officer eventually shot him once in the chest.

Footage on social media shows a blue ute in flames and a man dressed in a black tunic and white pants menacing police with a knife. Two bystanders try to help officers stop the man, one of them by rolling a shopping trolley in his path.

In an earlier press conference, Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton told reporters that police were called to the scene after reports of a car on fire. When officers got out of the car, they were confronted by a male brandishing a knife and threatening them.

"Passers-by were calling out that members of the public had been stabbed," he said.

One witness named Markel told ABC Local Radio in Melbourne that bystanders were urging officers to shot the man.

"A lot of bystanders (were) actually just screaming at the police officers, because the police officers were trying to take the knife off him and arrest him but bystanders were yelling out 'just shoot him, just shoot him'."

Ambulance Victoria said it had assessed three people at the scene, who were then taken to hospital.

One had a neck injury and was in a suspected critical condition, a second person had a head injury; and the condition and injuries of the third person was unknown.

Police have urged anyone who witnessed the incident or had footage of what happened to contact them.

Melbourne resident Meegan May told news.com.au she was on a tram on Bourke St heading into the city when it stopped just before Elizabeth St, about a block before the mall. She heard someone start screaming "he's got a knife".

She looked through the back window of the tram and noticed a car on fire. There was a man and two police officers trying to calm him down.

"A moment later, I heard a loud bang; to me it sounded like a gunshot," she said.

Markel Villasin, 22, was finishing his shift at KFC on Bourke St as the drama unfolded.

"Me and the managers ran out and that's when we saw the car on fire and then we saw the guy on the floor and we wanted to help, there were two blokes helping him out already, he was face down pools of blood around his face," he told AAP.

"I'm pretty sure he got stabbed in the face.

"I really wanted to help but I was in shock, I didn't know what to do.

"Because he was on his stomach, they turned him over to see if he's alright, he was still alive."

Bystander Drew Hair told AAP he was walking on Swanston Street when he heard an explosion.

The next thing he saw was a "big dude punching into the police car".

Mr Hair said the assailant was dressed in Islamic clothing and of African appearance and about six foot four inches tall.

"The cops were trying to hit him with batons and he wasn't going down," he said. Mr Hair said two civilians became involved as well as two police, trying to stop the man from his attack.

An ambulance and about 10 police cars appeared within moments.

A man told Sky News that there seemed to be multiple explosions.

"There was one explosion and fire, then a second explosion and it was like a massive fireball," he said.

Reports on 3AW Radio indicate that witnesses saw the man driving the vehicle "throw something into the back", which then ignited.

An eyewitness speaking to 7 News said it appeared the car was on fire before it crashed and "exploded".

"I was walking up Bourke St … and we heard this loud explosion. I thought it was a car backfiring but there was flames coming out of the car. It then veered to the left … and exploded in flames," the woman said.

"People were running everywhere. I thought it was like what happened last year so I started running. Everyone started running. It was so scary."

Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident is asked to go to Melbourne West police station to make a statement.

The incident comes as a trial into the 2017 rampage in Bourke Street continues.

In 2017, six people died in the terrifying car rampage that also left dozens injured.

Four adults, a child and a baby died after James "Dimitrious" Gargasoulas allegedly ploughed his car through the busy pedestrian mall on January 20.

Those killed were three-month-old Zachary Matthew-Bryant, Tahlia Hakin, 10, Yosuke Kanno, 25, Jessica Mudie, 23, and 33-year-olds Matthew Si and Bhavita Patel.

In September that year a knife-wielding man also went on a rampage outside Flinders St station. He was tasered and arrested in dramatic scenes in Melbourne's CBD.

In December, there was another incident when Saeed Noori allegedly drove a car into people crossing the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

At least 18 people, including a four-year-old boy and international tourists, were hit by the car that afternoon and one of them, 83-year-old grandfather Antonio Crocaris, died about eight days later.

If you or anyone you know needs help phone Lifeline 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636. </s> SYDNEY (AP) - The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Australia that police say was linked to terrorism.

Police say the driver of a pickup truck got out of his vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police on Friday in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

Police said the attacker came from Somalia.

The militant group said in a statement released through its Aamaq media arm that the man was "one of Islamic State fighters" and carried out the attack in response to IS calls for attacks in countries that are part of the international coalition fighting the militants in Syria and Iraq.

IS, which has suffered heavy battlefield setbacks in Syria and Iraq in the past year, often claims attacks in an opportunistic vein.

Australian police say a 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 before being fatally shot by police.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

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.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was "an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today."

Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country's second-largest city is linked to terrorism.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism.

Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the center of Australia's second-largest city, police said.

The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle.

Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them" while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said.

One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital.
In Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, a gunman kills one man and holds one woman hostage before he is shot dead by Victoria Police. The incident is being treated as an act of terrorism. Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has claimed responsibility for the attack but Victoria Police claim that there is little evidence to suggest a connection.