Chaos Erupts in Sydney Shopping Mall as Knifeman Kills Six

Eyewitnesses have described scenes of chaos as a knifeman killed six people and wounded several others in a busy Sydney shopping mall.

"It was carnage," said a witness who was in a nearby cafe with his two young children as the attack began.

The man, who preferred not to be named, told ABC News that he saw the man suddenly "stabbing people indiscriminately."

Crowds poured out of the Westfield shopping center in Bondi when the terrifying incident began just after 3 p.m.

"It was insanity," a visibly upset woman said, describing seeing a wounded woman lying on the floor.

Police say the knifeman visited the mall at 3:10 p.m. local time before returning minutes later to begin his rampage.

The attack was ended when a female police officer confronted the man. He raised his knife towards her, and she shot him, police said.

Jason Dockson said he heard "people yelling and screaming, running" and began following behind the officer.

He said the man, armed with a "big blade," started "floating towards us and all I heard was 'put it down' and then she shot him."

"If she didn't shoot him, well, he would have kept going, he was on the rampage."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the officer as a "hero," saying, "There is no doubt that she saved lives through her action."

The Westfield mall where the attack took place is a major shopping center in the east of Sydney's central business district and close to the famous Bondi Beach.

Horrified shoppers described their shock as the attacks unfolded, with one witness recalling a woman and her baby being attacked.

Johnny, 33, visiting from the New South Wales Central Coast, said he heard a commotion while shopping and turned to see the woman and her baby being attacked.

Nearby, he thought he could make out another body on the ground.

The injured woman managed to make a run for the Tommy Hilfiger store, and once inside, staff quickly locked the doors.

"Some of the other shoppers were using clothing and things to try and stop the bleeding," Johnny said.

"Hopefully, she pulls through."

Rashdan Aqashah, working in a clothing store, said he saw a man holding a pole confront the attacker on an escalator.

"I saw this one guy fighting with the killer. He was holding the pole, trying to throw a pole at the escalator," the 19-year-old said.

Mr. Aqashah said, "Everyone started running" when the attack began unfolding.

"I grabbed my manager to shut the store door. It was just in front of our store," he said.

Vernon Michael told Reuters he was in a store when he heard someone saying "run, run, run, someone's been stabbed."

"We're just grateful because literally two minutes before that, we were sitting right where it happened, where the first lady got stabbed," he said.

Another eyewitness told Reuters they saw someone lying down injured and were looking to see what was going on.

"Then we saw all these people running towards us and then we heard a shot, and my husband dragged us into the Adairs shop, and then we got the lady there trying to lock the doors, and then she couldn't lock the front door, so we went in the office, which was all locked, and then we were in there until the police came to get us."

Australian Federal Police said five females and a male had died as a result of the attack, while a nine-month-old baby required surgery.

They added that they believed they had identified the attacker as a 40-year-old man but were waiting to officially confirm his identity.

If the man is who they believe him to be, then police did not consider the motive to be terrorism, they said.