4 injured in Sydney mass stabbing, including police officer; suspect in custody

Four people including a police officer were injured in a stabbing attack in Sydney early on Sunday, police said, the latest in a series of knife assaults in Australia’s biggest city this year.

A man who ran from the scene has been taken into custody, police said in a statement. There is no ongoing threat to people in Sydney, said New South Wales state Police Minister Yasmin Catley.

Police said they did not believe anyone was killed in the attack, which followed a crash in the southern suburb of Engadine.

Aerial footage of the scene by the Australian Broadcasting Corp showed two crashed cars cordoned off with police tape.

03:14

Authorities rule out terrorism in deadly Sydney knife attack

Sydney has seen a spate of knife attacks this year, prompting the New South Wales state government to toughen its knife laws. The state parliament passed laws in June giving police electronic metal-detecting scanners to check people without a warrant at shopping centres, sporting venues and public transport stations.

In April, six people were killed and 12 injured in a knife attack at a mall in Sydney’s Bondi area.