Australian police arrested a man who stabbed a woman and chased several others in central Sydney on Tuesday (Aug 13) before being pinned down by members of the public, police said.

The unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon.

"We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital," police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney.

He said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Mr Wood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind.

Police were also investigating whether the body of a woman found inside an apartment near where the stabbing took place was linked to the incident, a New South Wales state police spokeswoman said.

Video footage on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a knife.

The man fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed.

Other footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of 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.

Ms Megan Hayley said a man with a large kitchen knife chased several people though a busy office district and "five or six others were chasing him behind, trying to stop him, they caught him and restrained him" with chairs and a plastic crate.

Australia to bar return of citizens who fought for ISIS Images broadcast by Australian media showed the man jumping on the roof of a car brandishing a knife shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "shoot me". Police had earlier urged the public to avoid the area around King and Clarence Streets, in the central business district of Australia's largest city, where they were conducting an operation. A woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: "We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding." "The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can't go outside. They said: 'It's a crime scene, you can't come out'," said the woman, who declined to give her name. This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction. </s> Sydney stabbing suspect arrested after woman found dead and another injured in CBD

Updated

Police have linked the murder of a woman to a stabbing rampage in central Sydney which left another woman in hospital.

Key points: Members of the public apprehended the man using a milk crate, chair and crowbar

Police confirmed a 21-year-old woman found dead in a unit block nearby was linked to the incident that shut down part of the city

Another woman has been taken to St Vincent's Hospital with a stab wound

The body of the 21-year-old woman was found in an apartment complex on Clarence Street, a short distance from where a man, identified as 21-year-old Mert Ney, was wielding a large butcher's knife and later restrained by bystanders.

Police said the incident — which they described as "terrifying carnage" — did not appear to be terror related, the suspect had no known terrorist links and he was acting on his own.

Officers are currently searching the suspect's home near Blacktown in Sydney's west.

The ABC understands the man escaped from a mental health facility and police confirmed he had a history of mental health problems.

The injured woman, a 41-year-old who police said was stabbed in the back in a "random attack", remains in a stable condition in Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital.

Reports of a man armed with a large knife on the streets of Sydney first emerged about 2:00pm, sparking a major police operation.

In what police described as "heroic" actions, passers-by and firefighters used chairs, a crowbar and a milk crate to apprehend the alleged offender, before he was arrested by authorities.

Police said the investigation was "live and ongoing".

"He was clearly dangerous and had motive," NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said.

"But it is not currently classed as a terrorist incident, as the investigation continues we will reassess that."

However, Commissioner Fuller said a thumb drive linked to the alleged offender suggested he had "some ideologies" in relation to terrorism.

"[It was] information [on] mass deaths and mass casualties around the world, namely from North America and New Zealand," he said.

"He was known to police but his history was unremarkable."

'He is going to kill you'

Channel 7 cameraman Paul Walker, who was stuck in traffic in the area at 2:00pm and spotted the alleged offender running down the street, told the ABC the man was "covered in blood" carrying a large knife.

"He jumped on the roof of the car behind us," he said.

"Then suddenly these firies who were in a firetruck a couple of vehicles in front jumped out.

"They had axes in their hand and were yelling at him to stop, put his weapon down and he just ignored them."

The man then ran down a nearby street.

"Another person [on the street] was screaming at people to get out of the way, the fact he had a knife and the fact he is going to kill you," Walker said.

He said the alleged offender was then knocked to the ground by a member of the public who grabbed a chair and "whacked him".

"Seconds later he was just piled on by quite a few people."

When the man fell he dropped a knife into the gutter.

NSW Police Superintendent Gavin Wood said the man had tried to stab others.

"There has been, again, subsequent to that stabbing a number of attempted stabbings by the same offender," he said.

'These people are heroes'

Superintendent Wood lauded the actions of the bystanders who restrained the alleged offender and called them "heroes".

"They were brave and I can only use that word seriously — they were significantly brave people," he said.

"To approach a person with a mindset of obviously what this person did, with clear evidence of a stabbing previously, these people are heroes."

The man has been taken to Day Street Police Station.

A number of crime scenes have been established and a number of road closures are in place.

Topics: crime, police, sydney-2000

First posted </s> A woman was taken to hospital after being stabbed in downtown Sydney on Tuesday in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a man who was restrained by members of the public and then taken into custody, police said.The unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon. “We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital,” Police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney. He said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.

SEE ALSO :Australian counter-terror police make three arrests in Sydney

Wood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind. Police were also investigating whether the body of a woman found inside an apartment near where the stabbing took place was linked to the incident, a New South Wales state police spokeswoman said. Video images on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a long-bladed knife. The man, who was yelling, fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed. It was unclear what the man was calling out. Other footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him.

SEE ALSO :Australian police investigate report of armed man in downtown Sydney

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,” Morrison said. A woman who answered the telephone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters, “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding. “The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said, ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out,’” said the woman, who declined to give her name. Police said the man was acting alone.

We are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential. </s> SYDNEY (Reuters) - A woman was taken to hospital after she was stabbed in downtown Sydney in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a man who has been taken into custody, police said.

The unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon.

“We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital,” Police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney.

He said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Wood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind.

Video footage on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a knife.

The man fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed.

Other footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him.

A woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.”

“The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said: ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out’,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

Police said the man was acting alone. </s> 3 Stabbed, 1 Dead In Australia In Incident Police Say Is Possible Terrorism

Enlarge this image toggle caption Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Police in Australia shot and killed a knife-wielded assailant who stabbed three people, killing one, in a busy section of Melbourne on Friday.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and authorities say they are investigating it as an act of terrorism.

Witnesses told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that a four-speed utility truck sped down Bourke Street in the southern Australia city's central business district and crashed after missing a tram.

A fire then started in the vehicle, according to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who spoke during a news conference.

Australian media identified the deceased suspect as a 31-year-old Somali male. Authorities say he exited the burning vehicle and began stabbing passersby.

Witnesses called the stabbings "random," the ABC reports.

Video of the incident, which some readers might find disturbing, can be seen here.

Police quickly arrived on the scene, Ashton said. The suspect approached a police vehicle and assaulted an officer by punching him through its window.

Two officers got out of the car and attempted to engage him. In video of the incident, the suspect approached the officers baring a large knife, making several attempts to stab them before an officer shot him in the chest. The suspect collapsed.

Ashton said the three victims, all men, and the suspect were transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. One of the victims died from his injuries.

According to police, the other two victims, aged 26 and 58, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect died from his injuries half an hour after arriving at the hospital.

The police found "barbecue style" gas bottles in the vehicle involved in Friday's incident. A bomb squad has since rendered the car safe.

"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," the ISIS news website Amaq said on Friday, according to news.com.au.

In the past, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some "lone wolf" attacks in which the assailant was later found to have no allegiance to the group.

The suspect has been "known to police mainly in respect to relatives he has that are certainly persons of interest to us," Ashton said.

"For operational matters we now have the counter-terrorism command and the homicide squad dealing with this matter, and there are ongoing investigations being conducted by the counter-terrorism command," he continued.

Authorities say they do not perceive any ongoing threat.

A driver who rammed into pedestrians at a mall close to Friday's incident killed at least four people in January of last year. In December, a different driver in Melbourne drove into more people, injuring at least 19.

In a series of tweets, Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria state, called the incident "an act of terror struck the heart of our city, in a place where past wounds have still not healed."

"To the victims and their loved ones, we offer our prayers, support and deepest sympathies. We won't be defined by this evil act. Victorians will continue to go about their business, together and with resolve," Andrews wrote. </s> Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Aug, 2019 ) :Australian police said they had discovered a body near the scene of a knife rampage in central Sydney on Tuesday, but were still determining whether it was linked to the attack.

A police spokeswoman told AFP the body had been discovered in the central business district where one person was earlier stabbed and a man was arrested, but officers were still "conducting enquiries" to determine what happened. </s> SYDNEY (AP) — The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

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. </s> Australian police are investigating unconfirmed reports of an armed man in downtown Sydney, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday, and witnesses reported seeing an injured man carrying a knife.

Police urged the public to avoid the area around King and Clarence Streets, in the central business district of Australia’s largest city, where they were conducting an operation.

Police gave no further information but Seven News said a man was in custody after arming himself with a knife and running through downtown Sydney.

A woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.”

“The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said: ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out’,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

The Sydney Morning Herald said several people had reportedly been stabbed, although there was no confirmation from officials.

A Sky News reporter and other media reports said the man shouted “shoot me” at police. </s> A man shouted Allahu Akbar on top of a car after stabbing a woman in Sydney's Central Business District.

Dramatic footage shows a brave member of the public confront the attacker with a chair, before he shouts at police to 'shoot him'.

Officers were called out to the scene at around 2pm local time to reports of a man walking along York Street in the Australian city armed with a knife.

As police made their way to the location, there were multiple reports the man had stabbed someone near the corner of King and Clarence Streets.

Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics located a woman inside a hotel, who had a stab wound.

She has been taken to hospital in a stable condition.

A short time later, members of the public detained the man before police attended and arrested him.

He has since been taken to Day Street Police Station.

Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command, and various specialist police, are conducting proactive patrols the area, but it is believed there is no further threat to public safety.

A number of crime scenes have been established and a number of road closures are in place, which is believed to have significant impact on traffic and public transport this afternoon.

Members of the public are urged to avoid the area.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
A man in Sydney, Australia, stabs and kills one person and wounds another. The motive of the suspect, who was arrested at the crime scene, is unknown.