Several people stabbed at a mall in Sydney, Australia

Six people were killed in a stabbing attack Saturday in a shopping center in Sydney, an Australian police official told reporters, who did not rule out the "terrorist" track, according to AFP.

Several people were injured in the attack. Eight of them, including a child, were hospitalized, said the emergency services. One person died at hospital.

The attack took place in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center, which was packed with customers at the time of the attack.

The mall was closed and police have asked people to avoid the area. Hundreds of people fled the building. New South Wales emergency services told AFP that a man was shot and killed by police and that he may be one of the attackers.

The officer who shot the assailant, a ‘hero’ who ‘saved lives’

Hours later, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Anthony Cooke revealed at a press conference that a police officer who was near the area was alerted to the attack by fleeing shoppers and confronted the suspect. “He turned, faced her, raised a knife, and the officer opened fire, killing the suspect,” Cooke recalled.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the bravery of the policewomanfor entering the mall “by herself” and killing the suspect before he could cause further harm to innocent civilians.

“She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives,” Albanese said.