Australia stabbings leave seven dead – as it happened | Bondi Junction stabbings

We’re going to wrap up the blog for tonight. Here’s what unfolded today:

• Six people have been killed in a stabbing attack at Bondi Junction Westfield, a six-level shopping centre in Sydney’s east.

• The attacker, a 40-year-old man who has yet to be formally identified by police, was also killed – he was shot dead by police. He is believed to have acted alone and the attack is not believed to be terrorism-related.

• Police say that “more than several people” were injured in the attack shortly after 3pm on Saturday. Some have critical or serious injuries.

• Among the injured is a nine-month-old baby who has undergone surgery and is being treated at hospital. Police sources have told Guardian Australia that the baby’s mother was the sixth victim of the attack and died in hospital after being stabbed.

• Police were called to the popular shopping centre at 3:30pm, following reports multiple people had been stabbed. Hundreds of people were hiding inside shops and storerooms, or fleeing the shopping centre in panicked scenes, as a man wielding what witnesses described as a “big blade” attacked shoppers.

• A lone police officer who was nearby tracked him through the centre before shooting him dead when he turned and raised his knife at her.

• The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has praised the police officer who confronted and shot the attacker, saying “she is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives through her action.”

• A motive for the attack has not yet been established, with the prime minister and the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Reece Kershaw, saying it was “too early” and warning it would be “unhelpful to speculate” at this stage.

• Police say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, who is a 40-year-old man, known to police. But they are waiting on formal identification and have not released his name.

• Police do not believe the attack to be ideologically motivated and say they believe there is no ongoing threat to the community.

• The centre remains closed, and a crime scene has been established.

Tamsin Rose

Police confirm sixth victim was the mother of infant who is currently in hospital

Police sources have confirmed that the sixth victim – a woman who died in hospital following the stabbing attack – is the mother of the nine-month-old baby who was also a victim of the attack and is currently receiving treatment in hospital.

For non-Sydneysiders, this map from the Guardian graphics team may be of assistance:

The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, has said that while the community, like the police, may well feel “very sad about what happened here… they should have no … ongoing concerns. We believe that this person acted alone and there’s no ongoing threat to the community.”

Police commissioner Karen Webb says that police believe they know who the attacker is, but are waiting to formally identify him.

Later this evening, we became aware of who we believe the offender is and we believe that he is a 40-year-old man. However, we are waiting to formally identify him and we cannot speak yet on his identification.

Let me assure you that we are confident that there is no ongoing risk and we are dealing with one person who is now deceased.

Webb says that the attacker – if it is the person police believe it is – was known to police, and they do not have fears that he was ideologically motivated.

We are waiting to confirm his identification and if it is the person we believe it is, we don’t have fear for that person holding an ideation. In other words, that it’s not a terrorism incident.

Webb has confirmed that four women and one man died in Westfield Bondi as a result of the stabbing attack. One man died at the shopping centre. She says that one woman has since died in hospital.

She also confirms that a nine-month-old baby is among the stabbing victims and has undergone surgery.

• Six people have died in a stabbing attack at Bondi Junction Westfield, a six-level shopping centre in Sydney’s east, as well as the attacker who was shot dead by police.

• Police say a small child is among “more than several people” injured after the knife attack shortly after 3pm on Saturday. Some have critical or serious injuries.

• Police were called to the popular shopping centre at 3:30pm, following reports multiple people had been stabbed. Hundreds of people were hiding inside shops and storerooms, as a man wielding what witnesses described as a “big blade” attacked shoppers.

• A lone police officer who was nearby tracked him through the centre before shooting him dead when he turned and raised his knife at her.

• The attacker has not yet been identified, and a motive for the attack has not yet been established. Police believe he acted alone and that there is no continuing active threat.

• The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has praised the police officer who confronted and shot the attacker, saying “she is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives through her action.”

• A mother and her baby has been reported as being among those treated for stab wounds.

• A motive for the attack has not yet been established. With the prime minister and the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Reece Kershaw, saying it was “too early to determine a motive” and warning it would be “unhelpful to speculate” at this stage.

• Police say there are “not ruling out” that the attack could be a terrorist incident, but say there’s “nothing that we are aware of at the scene that would indicate any motive or any ideology”.

• The centre remains closed, and a crime scene has been established.

• We’re expecting an update from police at 8:30pm.