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Melbourne police shoot man dead after two officers stabbed Melbourne police shoot man dead after two officers stabbed
(about 9 hours later)
Police in Melbourne have shot dead an 18-year-old man after he stabbed two officers, including a counter-terrorism officer. Chris Johnston and Haroon Siddique
The officers approached the man outside the Endeavour Hills police station in connection with an ongoing investigation and an altercation took place at 7.45pm on Tuesday resulting in them both being stabbed, police said. An 18-year-old man has been shot dead in Melbourne after he stabbed two officers outside a police station in the city’s southeastern suburbs.
“One of the officers has then discharged his firearm, fatally shooting the 18-year-old man,” a Victoria police spokesman said. The unnamed man, from Narre Warren, is understood to have stabbed the two officers - one from the Australian federal police (AFP) and one from the Victoria force - as he arrived at Endeavour Hills police station.
One officer was taken to Dandenong hospital and the other was taken to the Alfred hospital. Police said they are both in a stable condition. Media reports suggested that the teenager made threats against the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott. He had been asked to speak with officers and was attending the station voluntarily. The man is thought to have displayed the flag of Isis, the Islamic militant force, at a nearby shopping centre.
Australia raised its terrorism alert level from medium to high – the first such change in 11 years – earlier this month and last week more than 800 police officers carried out the largest counter-terrorism raids in the country’s history, detaining 15 people. Victoria police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius said the two officers had no idea that the 18-year-old posed a threat. “It’s absolutely clear to us that our members had no choice other than to act in the way in which they did,” he said. This is not an exercise in police seeking to single out particular individuals in the community.”
Abbott said that a senior member of Islamic State (Isis) was urging a network in Australia to carry out public beheadings. Australia has committed a 600-strong military force to the US-led coalition of more than 40 countries and air strike campaign against Isis. The AFP officer was stabbed several times, while his Victorian colleague, who was stabbed twice in the forearm, fired the fatal shot.
AFP commander Bruce Giles said the officers and the man had spoken cordially before the stabbing: “The incident took place in the course of normal greetings; so, meeting with the individual, shaking hands, introducing and then the incident unfolded.”
He said it appeared the man had been acting alone.
Giles confirmed there was information suggesting the man had recently been seen displaying an Isis flag, but said that the officers had wanted to speak to him about a “routine” issue.
Neither Cornelius nor Giles commented on reports that the man had made threats against prime minister Tony Abbott. “Where we see individuals behaving in a way which causes concern for public safety, we have to reach out to those individuals,” Cornelius said.
Police declined to confirm the man’s name or occupation, or comment on suggestions that his passport had recently been cancelled.
Bomb squad officers and police dogs carried out precautionary checks of the police station after the incident, but Mr Cornelius said the measures were precautionary.
The more seriously inured officer was taken to the Alfred hospital in a critical condition but was now stable.
His colleague was taken to Dandenong Hospital and is expected to be discharged on Wednesday.
Officers from the homicide squad and professional standards were investigating the incident.
The incident comes amid heightened tension in Australia. Abbot has committed a 600-strong military force to the US-led coalition of more than 40 countries against Isis. The militant group has urged its supporters to kill civilians and soldiers in countries - including Australia - taking part in the action.
Last week, more than 800 police officers carried out the largest counter-terrorism raids in the country’s history, detaining 15 people.
Abbott has also announced plans for tough new anti-terror legislation, including making it a crime for an Australian citizen to travel to any area overseas once the government has declared it off limits.
Police shootings are relatively rare in Australia, with just six people killed following action by officers in 2010-11, according to figures from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
NEW COPY ENDS
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Police in Melbourne have shot dead an 18-year-old terrorist suspect who stabbed two officers. The teenager, who is believed to have had his passport cancelled recently, inflicted multiple wounds on a counter-terrorism officer from the Australian federal police and stabbed an officer from Victoria police in the arm during an altercation outside Endeavour Hills police station at about 7.45pm on Tuesday, before one of them shot him dead.
Police said both officers were in a stable condition in hospital. They refused to confirm media reports, citing witnesses at the scene, that the man, who had been summoned to the police station to talk to members of Australia’s anti-terrorism taskforce, made threats against the prime minister, Tony Abbot. Police said they had information suggesting that he had been seen with an Islamic State flag before he was shot, although it was unclear when he is alleged to have brandished it.
Victoria police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius said: “Our members had no inkling that this individual posed a threat to them. It’s absolutely clear to us that our members had no choice other than to act in the way in which they did. This is not an exercise in police seeking to single out particular individuals in the community.” He added that the man appeared to be working alone and stressed that it was an isolated incident.
The incident comes amid heightened tension in Australia, which has seen the terrorism alert level raised this month from medium to high, the first such change in 11 years. Abbot has committed a 600-strong military force to the US-led coalition of more than 40 countries against Isis and in a video released on Monday the extremist group urged its members to kill civilians and soldiers in countries - including Australia - taking part in the action in Iraq and Syria. Last week, more than 800 police officers carried out the largest counter-terrorism raids in Australia’s history, detaining 15 people. Abbott has also announced plans for tough new anti-terror legislation, including making it a crime for an Australian citizen to travel to any area overseas once the government has declared it off limits.
Australian federal police commander Bruce Giles did not elaborate on why police had summoned the teenager, describing it only as “something that needed to be spoken about”. He added: “The [stabbing] incident took place in the course of normal greetings - so meeting with the individual, shaking hands, introducing and then the incident unfolded.” Bomb squad members, including a bomb-disposal robot, and police dogs scanned the scene of the Endeavour Hills shooting, including the teenager’s vehicle but Cornelius said the measures were precautionary. The Professional Standards Command is investigating the shooting, as is normal following any police shooting.