Four people, including a police officer, were injured in a stabbing attack in Sydney early Sunday, marking the latest in a series of knife assaults in Australia’s largest city this year. According to a statement from the police, the suspect fled the scene but was later apprehended. New South Wales State Police Minister Yasmin Catley assured the public that there is no ongoing threat in Sydney.
The attack occurred following a car crash in the southern suburb of Engadine. Aerial footage captured by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed two vehicles involved in the crash, cordoned off with police tape.
Sydney, a city of 5 million residents, has seen a troubling rise in knife attacks this year, leading the New South Wales government to tighten knife-related laws. In June, the state parliament passed legislation granting police the authority to use electronic metal-detecting scanners without a warrant at shopping centers, sports venues, and public transport stations.
This incident follows a deadly knife attack in April that left six people dead and 12 injured at a mall in Sydney’s Bondi area.