An ISIS-inspired terrorist went on a rampage inside a mall in Auckland, New Zealand, killing three innocent shoppers and injuring three others before being shot dead by the police.
The terrorist pulled out a sharp knife kept in the shelf inside the New Lynn Countdown supermarket and began randomly slashing at people who came his way.
The three injured people were immediately rushed to the hospital and reports state that they're in critical condition battling for their lives.
The terrorist was under police watch for his extreme beliefs and showed sympathy with ISIS. He had arrived to New Zealand in 2011 from Sri Lanka and displayed religious anger on his sleeves.
Reports state that the terrorist was shot and killed by the police within 60 seconds of picking up the knife and starting the rampage.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, labeled the attack as ''despicable'' and confirmed that the man was under ''police surveillance'' for his extreme behaviour and beliefs.
''ISIS-inspired known threat'' was under ''constant police surveillance'', said Ardern in a press conference and called the attack ''senseless''.
She added: ''This was a violent attack on innocent New Zealanders, it was senseless. It was undertaken by an individual who was a known threat.''
A reporter asked Ardern the man's nationality and she responded: ''The terrorist is a Sri Lankan national who arrived in 2011. 'I want to acknowledge the six New Zealanders injured,'' she continued.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster was also present at the news conference with Ardern and said that the man was ''closely watched by surveillance teams and a strategic tactical team.''
When questioned how did the police miss stopping the rampage despite being under surveillance, Coster said, ''The reality is when you are surveilling someone on a 24-hour basis it is not possible to be immediately next to them.''
Ardern also sent out a calming tone saying the terrorist acted on his own and blaming a religion or belief is not the right option.
''What happened today was despicable, it was hateful, it was wrong. It was carried out by an individual, not a faith, not a culture, not an ethnicity, but an individual person who is gripped by an ideology that is not supported here by anyone,'' said Ardern.
