WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand authorities were so worried about an extremist inspired by the Islamic State group they were following him around-the-clock and were able to shoot and kill him within 60 seconds of him unleashing a frenzied knife attack that wounded six people Friday at an Auckland supermarket.
Three of the shoppers were taken to Auckland hospitals in critical condition, police said. Another was in serious condition, while two more were in moderate condition.
总理贾辛达·阿尔登（Jacinda Ardern）说，这一事件是恐怖袭击。她说，这名男子是斯里兰卡国民，受到伊斯兰国集团的启发，并受到美国安全机构的众所周知。
Ardern said she had been personally briefed on the man in the past but there had been no legal reason for him to be detained.
“Had he done something that would have allowed us to put him into prison, he would have been in prison,” Ardern said.
The attack unfolded at about 2:40 p.m. at a Countdown supermarket in New Zealand’s largest city.
警察局长安德鲁·科斯特（Andrew Coster）说，警察监视小组和一个专业战术小组跟随他在格伦·伊登（Glen Eden）郊区的男子到新林恩（New Lynn）的超市。
但是，尽管他们对这个人有严重的担忧，但他们没有特别的理由认为他计划在星期五袭击。该男子似乎要去商店去杂货店购物。
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Police and ambulance staff attend a scene outside an Auckland supermarket, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. New Zealand authorities said Friday they shot and killed a violent extremist after he entered a supermarket and stabbed and injured several shoppers. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as a terror attack. (Alex Burton/New Zealand Herald via AP) -
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives at a press conference following the Auckland supermarket terror attack at parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. New Zealand authorities say they shot and killed a violent extremist after he entered a supermarket and stabbed and injured six shoppers. Ardern described Friday’s incident as a terror attack. (Robert Kitchin/Pool Photo via AP)
“He entered the store, as he had done before. He obtained a knife from within the store,” Coster said. “Surveillance teams were as close as they possibly could be to monitor his activity.”
Witnesses said the man shouted “Allahu akbar” — meaning God is great — and started stabbing random shoppers, sending people running and screaming.
Coster said that when the commotion started, two police from the special tactics group rushed over. He said the man charged at the officers with the knife and so they shot and killed him.
One bystander video taken from inside the supermarket records the sound of 10 shots being fired in rapid succession.
Coster said there would be questions about whether police could have reacted even quicker. He said that the man was very aware of the constant surveillance and they needed to be some distance from him for it to be effective.
Ardern said the attack was violent and senseless, and she was sorry it had happened.
“今天发生的事情是卑鄙的。这很可恨。这是错误的，” Ardern说。“它是由一个人执行的。不是信仰，不是文化，而不是种族。但是一个被任何人或任何社区所支持的意识形态所抓住的个人。”
阿德恩说，该男子已于2011年首次移居新西兰，自2016年以来一直受到安全机构的监视。她说，当局有信心他独自行动。
阿德恩说，新西兰法院施加的法律限制使她无法讨论她想就此案的一切，但她希望尽快将这些限制解除。
超市中的一些购物者试图帮助那些因抓起毛巾和尿布以及从货架上找到的其他东西而受伤的人。
“To everyone who was there and who witnessed such a horrific event, I can’t imagine how they will be feeling in the aftermath,” Ardern said. “But thank you for coming to the aid of those who needed you when they needed you.”
奥克兰目前正处于严格的锁定状态，因为它与冠状病毒爆发作斗争。大多数企业都是关闭的，人们通常被允许离开家，仅购买杂货，以供医疗需求或运动。
极端主义意识形态在新西兰很少见，阿德恩说，只有少数人会受到如此严格的监视。
In 2019, a white supremacist gunned down worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, killing 51 people and injuring dozens more. After pleading guilty last year, Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The killings sparked changes to gun laws in New Zealand, which has now banned the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons.
Among those to condemn the attack on Friday were members of the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, which was at the center of the mosque attacks two years ago.
“We stand with the victims of the horrible incident,” said Gamal Fouda, the imam of Al Noor. “We feel strongly the pain of terrorism and there are no words that can convey our condemnation of such a horrible act.”
