This is what we know so far about what police have described as a lone wolf terror attack on Bourke Street, which brought Melbourne's CBD to a standstill.

A vehicle has exploded on Bourke Street.

About 4.20pm, a car mounted the footpath of Bourke Street, near the corner of Swanston Street, and erupted in flames. The man got out of the vehicle and engaged with members of the public.

Three men were stabbed and one died at the scene.

Police arrived and the man punched one of them through a police car window.</s>3 Stabbed, 1 Dead In Australia In Incident Police Say Is Possible Terrorism

Enlarge this image toggle caption Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Police in Australia shot and killed a knife-wielded assailant who stabbed three people, killing one, in a busy section of Melbourne on Friday.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and authorities say they are investigating it as an act of terrorism.

Witnesses told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that a four-speed utility truck sped down Bourke Street in the southern Australia city's central business district and crashed after missing a tram.

A fire then started in the vehicle, according to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who spoke during a news conference.

Australian media identified the deceased suspect as a 31-year-old Somali male. Authorities say he exited the burning vehicle and began stabbing passersby.

Witnesses called the stabbings "random," the ABC reports.

Video of the incident, which some readers might find disturbing, can be seen here.

Police quickly arrived on the scene, Ashton said. The suspect approached a police vehicle and assaulted an officer by punching him through its window.

Two officers got out of the car and attempted to engage him. In video of the incident, the suspect approached the officers baring a large knife, making several attempts to stab them before an officer shot him in the chest. The suspect collapsed.

Ashton said the three victims, all men, and the suspect were transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. One of the victims died from his injuries.

According to police, the other two victims, aged 26 and 58, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect died from his injuries half an hour after arriving at the hospital.

The police found "barbecue style" gas bottles in the vehicle involved in Friday's incident. A bomb squad has since rendered the car safe.

"The one who executed the ramming and stabbing operation in Melbourne (..) is one of the fighters of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to (a call) to target the citizens of the coalition," the ISIS news website Amaq said on Friday, according to news.com.au.

In the past, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some "lone wolf" attacks in which the assailant was later found to have no allegiance to the group.

The suspect has been "known to police mainly in respect to relatives he has that are certainly persons of interest to us," Ashton said.

"For operational matters we now have the counter-terrorism command and the homicide squad dealing with this matter, and there are ongoing investigations being conducted by the counter-terrorism command," he continued.

Authorities say they do not perceive any ongoing threat.

A driver who rammed into pedestrians at a mall close to Friday's incident killed at least four people in January of last year. In December, a different driver in Melbourne drove into more people, injuring at least 19.

In a series of tweets, Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria state, called the incident "an act of terror struck the heart of our city, in a place where past wounds have still not healed."

"To the victims and their loved ones, we offer our prayers, support and deepest sympathies. We won't be defined by this evil act. Victorians will continue to go about their business, together and with resolve," Andrews wrote.</s>A man was shot dead by police Friday after he allegedly set a car on fire and stabbed three people -- one fatally -- on a busy street in Melbourne, Australia, in what authorities say was an "act of terrorism."

Interested in Australia? Add Australia as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Australia news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest

The incident began Friday afternoon when police officers responded to reports of a vehicle fire in Melbourne's central business district. Officers found the car on fire on the side of a busy street and were confronted by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them," Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton said at a press conference.

William West/AFP/Getty Images

Officers shot the knife-wielding man as he ran toward them, police said, and none of the officers were hurt.

The suspect later died in the hospital, according to police, and there is no ongoing threat.

Three stabbing victims were found at the scene, and the two survivors were hospitalized, police said. Their conditions were unknown.

Xinhua/Bai Xue via Newscom

The vehicle that was on fire contained multiple gas canisters, police said.

An investigation by the Australian Federal Police's Joint Counter Terrorism Team is underway, and is being led by Victoria Police.

]/>

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the "evil and cowardly attack," which he said is being treated as a "terrorism incident."

"I condemn the act of terrorism in Melbourne today that has tragically taken the life of a fellow Australian who has died as a result of this evil and cowardly attack," Morrison said in a statement Friday. "Australians will never be intimidated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest."

ABC News' Alexandra Faul and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.</s>SYDNEY (AP) - The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Australia that police say was linked to terrorism.

Police say the driver of a pickup truck got out of his vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police on Friday in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

Police said the attacker came from Somalia.

The militant group said in a statement released through its Aamaq media arm that the man was "one of Islamic State fighters" and carried out the attack in response to IS calls for attacks in countries that are part of the international coalition fighting the militants in Syria and Iraq.

IS, which has suffered heavy battlefield setbacks in Syria and Iraq in the past year, often claims attacks in an opportunistic vein.

Australian police say a pickup truck that caught fire in the country's second-largest city contained several barbeque gas cylinders and was part of an apparent terrorist attack.

Police said the driver got out of the vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the attacker was from Somalia and known to the authorities, mostly because of family members who were "persons of interest" to police.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was "an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today."

Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country's second-largest city is linked to terrorism.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism.

Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the center of Australia's second-largest city, police said.

The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle.

Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them" while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said.

One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital.</s>Police confirm three people have been stabbed by a man brandishing a knife in Melbourne's CBD.</s>THE Islamic State terror group says one of its fighters carried out a knife attack in Melbourne yesterday in which one man died and two were wounded.

The group's Amaq news website provided no evidence for the claim.

"The one who executed the ramming and stabbing operation in Melbourne (..) is one of the fighters of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to (a call) to target the citizens of the coalition," Amaq said overnight.

The text was referring to a call in August by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to "use bombs, knives or cars to carry out attacks" in countries taking part in the US-led coalition that put an end to the caliphate he declared in 2014 over parts of Iraq and Syria.

The attacker in Melbourne was shot by police after he set fire to a ute laden with gas cylinders in the centre of Melbourne and stabbed three people, killing one. The attacker died later in hospital.

Police are now treating the stabbing attack in Melbourne's Bourke St as a terrorism incident.

The knifeman, a 31-year-old Somali-born from Melbourne's north-western suburbs, died in hospital last night after being shot in the chest by police.

The Herald Sun, on its Twitter page, said the terrorist's wife "was missing and is believed to have been radicalised". They say Victoria Police are searching for her.

In a press conference yesterday afternoon Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the man who is alleged to have stabbed three people, killing one, was known to Victoria Police and federal intelligence authorities.

"We are now treating this as a terrorism incident," he said.

Commissioner Ashton revealed the man came to Australia from Somalia in the 1990s and had relatives known to police from a "terrorism perspective".

"He's got family associations that are well known to us," he said.

There were some reports that the man yelled "Allahu Akbar" during the attack but Commissioner Ashton said this had not been confirmed.

The attacker had a record of some minor offences including for cannabis use, theft and driving offences.

The man caused chaos in the Melbourne CBD on Friday afternoon after allegedly stabbing three men. One man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. Some witnesses say he was stabbed in the face.

A 26-year-old and a 58-year-old were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police officers also received minor injuries, one of them from being punched, and some cuts and scratches.

Police have not yet revealed the identity of the attacker or the other man who died.

But The Herald Sun has named the attacker as Mohamed Khalif, who also reportedly goes by the name Hassan Shire.

Bourke St is in lockdown from Swanston St to Russell St and is expected to remain closed until as late as 8am this morning as police investigate.

The Herald Sun is reporting one of the men injured in the attack was Rodney Patterson and his wife Maree posted on Facebook that he was "doing OK given the circumstances".

"Unfortunately we got caught up in the attack in Bourke Street this afternoon and Rodney was hurt - good news is he is in a great hospital and doing OK given the circumstances - can't take calls at the moment but will speak to everyone when I can," she wrote.

"Thanks to everyone for their wishes and caring."

In light of the attack police are doing security assessments of events happening in Melbourne this weekend and extra police may be present but the Commissioner said there was no ongoing threat they were aware of.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews condemned the incident and thanked the police and brave bystanders who had risked their lives to stop the knifeman.

"This is an evil, terrifying thing that's happened in our city and state today," Mr Andrew said.

"We condemn it. We also take this opportunity to thank those very brave and dedicated members of Victoria Police who did all of us proud in their very quick response in very dangerous circumstances. They've done each and every one of us proud.

"Equally, those strangers, people who were bystanders who knew nobody involved, who stepped in without a moment's hesitation, to render support and assistances."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had been briefed about the incident and state and federal agencies were working together.

"I condemn the act of terrorism in Melbourne today that has tragically taken the life of a fellow Australian who has died as a result of this evil and cowardly attack," he said in a statement.

"Australians will never be intimated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest."

The incident began when the man drove a 4WD into the city about 4.10pm and it was set on fire. Commissioner Ashton confirmed there were some barbecue-style gas cylinders in the car that had to be rendered safe by the bomb response unit.

It's unclear whether the car was set on fire before or after the man left the vehicle.

According to the ABC, witnesses saw the man crash the car, get out and throw an object into the car that set it alight.

Commissioner Ashton said after the car was set on fire, the man interacted with some members of the public before police arrived.

The man then punched one of the officers through the window of the car. Two other officers got out of the police vehicle and attempted to engage him but the man used a knife to try and attack them. One officer eventually shot him once in the chest.

Footage on social media shows a blue ute in flames and a man dressed in a black tunic and white pants menacing police with a knife. Two bystanders try to help officers stop the man, one of them by rolling a shopping trolley in his path.

In an earlier press conference, Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton told reporters that police were called to the scene after reports of a car on fire. When officers got out of the car, they were confronted by a male brandishing a knife and threatening them.

"Passers-by were calling out that members of the public had been stabbed," he said.

One witness named Markel told ABC Local Radio in Melbourne that bystanders were urging officers to shot the man.

"A lot of bystanders (were) actually just screaming at the police officers, because the police officers were trying to take the knife off him and arrest him but bystanders were yelling out 'just shoot him, just shoot him'."

Ambulance Victoria said it had assessed three people at the scene, who were then taken to hospital.

One had a neck injury and was in a suspected critical condition, a second person had a head injury; and the condition and injuries of the third person was unknown.

Police have urged anyone who witnessed the incident or had footage of what happened to contact them.

Melbourne resident Meegan May told news.com.au she was on a tram on Bourke St heading into the city when it stopped just before Elizabeth St, about a block before the mall. She heard someone start screaming "he's got a knife".

She looked through the back window of the tram and noticed a car on fire. There was a man and two police officers trying to calm him down.

"A moment later, I heard a loud bang; to me it sounded like a gunshot," she said.

Markel Villasin, 22, was finishing his shift at KFC on Bourke St as the drama unfolded.

"Me and the managers ran out and that's when we saw the car on fire and then we saw the guy on the floor and we wanted to help, there were two blokes helping him out already, he was face down pools of blood around his face," he told AAP.

"I'm pretty sure he got stabbed in the face.

"I really wanted to help but I was in shock, I didn't know what to do.

"Because he was on his stomach, they turned him over to see if he's alright, he was still alive."

Bystander Drew Hair told AAP he was walking on Swanston Street when he heard an explosion.

The next thing he saw was a "big dude punching into the police car".

Mr Hair said the assailant was dressed in Islamic clothing and of African appearance and about six foot four inches tall.

"The cops were trying to hit him with batons and he wasn't going down," he said. Mr Hair said two civilians became involved as well as two police, trying to stop the man from his attack.

An ambulance and about 10 police cars appeared within moments.

A man told Sky News that there seemed to be multiple explosions.

"There was one explosion and fire, then a second explosion and it was like a massive fireball," he said.

Reports on 3AW Radio indicate that witnesses saw the man driving the vehicle "throw something into the back", which then ignited.

An eyewitness speaking to 7 News said it appeared the car was on fire before it crashed and "exploded".

"I was walking up Bourke St … and we heard this loud explosion. I thought it was a car backfiring but there was flames coming out of the car. It then veered to the left … and exploded in flames," the woman said.

"People were running everywhere. I thought it was like what happened last year so I started running. Everyone started running. It was so scary."

Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident is asked to go to Melbourne West police station to make a statement.

The incident comes as a trial into the 2017 rampage in Bourke Street continues.

In 2017, six people died in the terrifying car rampage that also left dozens injured.

Four adults, a child and a baby died after James "Dimitrious" Gargasoulas allegedly ploughed his car through the busy pedestrian mall on January 20.

Those killed were three-month-old Zachary Matthew-Bryant, Tahlia Hakin, 10, Yosuke Kanno, 25, Jessica Mudie, 23, and 33-year-olds Matthew Si and Bhavita Patel.

In September that year a knife-wielding man also went on a rampage outside Flinders St station. He was tasered and arrested in dramatic scenes in Melbourne's CBD.

In December, there was another incident when Saeed Noori allegedly drove a car into people crossing the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

At least 18 people, including a four-year-old boy and international tourists, were hit by the car that afternoon and one of them, 83-year-old grandfather Antonio Crocaris, died about eight days later.

If you or anyone you know needs help phone Lifeline 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.</s>SYDNEY, Australia — The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local): 9:35 p.m. Australian police say a pickup truck that caught fire in the country’s second-largest city contained several barbeque gas cylinders and was part of an apparent terrorist attack. Police said the driver got out of the vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police. The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill. Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the attacker was from Somalia and known to the authorities, mostly because of family members who were “persons of interest” to police. Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was “an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today.” —— 8:45 p.m. Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country’s second-largest city is linked to terrorism. The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill. Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital. Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism. —— 7:30 p.m. Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the centre of Australia’s second-largest city, police said. The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle. Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man “brandishing a knife and threatening them” while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said. One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital.</s>Police in Australia say the man behind yesterday's terror attack in Melbourne was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Officers say Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, originally from Somalia, had his passport cancelled in 2015 following reports he planned to travel to Syria.

He stabbed one person to death, before being shot dead by police.

Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has paid tribute to those who intervened</s>SYDNEY (AP) — The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country's second-largest city is linked to terrorism.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism.

Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the center of Australia's second-largest city, police said.

The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle.

Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them" while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said.

One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital.</s>A knife-wielding man has stabbed three people, one fatally, in Melbourne in an attack police linked to terrorism.

The attack during the afternoon rush hour brought the centre of Australia’s second largest city to a standstill. Hundreds of people watched from behind barricades as police tried to apprehend the attacker.

Officers said the man got out of a pick-up truck, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife.

He also attempted to attack police who arrived on the scene, before being shot in the chest by an officer. He died in hospital.

One of the victims also died, while the two others were admitted to hospital.

Police said the attacker’s vehicle contained several barbecue gas cylinders in the back. A bomb squad rendered them safe.

Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said the suspect, originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident was being treated as terrorism.

“From what we know of that individual we are treating this as a terrorism incident,” he told reporters, adding that the police counter-terrorism command was working on the case with homicide detectives.

“He’s known to police mainly in respect to relatives that he has which certainly are persons of interest to us, and he’s someone that accordingly is know to both Victorian police and the federal intelligence authorities,” he said.

The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement released through its Aamaq media arm.

It said the man was “one of Islamic State fighters” and had responded to IS calls for attacks in countries that are part of the international coalition fighting the militants in Syria and Iraq.

The attack occurred on the eve of a busy weekend in Melbourne, with a major horse race scheduled for Saturday and a national league football match the following day. Sunday is also Remembrance Day, when memorial ceremonies for the First World War are held.

Mr Ashton said police were “doing security reassessments of these events in light of what’s occurred”, but there was “no ongoing threat we’re currently aware of in relation to people surrounding this individual”.

“Australians will never be intimidated by these appalling attacks and we will continue to go about our lives and enjoy the freedoms that the terrorists detest,” he said.

One witness said one of the victims, believed to be a man in his 60s who later died, was stabbed in the face, and that desperate efforts were made to save him.

“Because he was on his stomach, they turned him over to see if he’s all right, he was still alive,” Markel Villasin told Australian Associated Press.

“He was breathing and he was bleeding out.”

Video from the scene showed a man swinging a knife at two police officers near a burning car before he was shot.

In December 2014, a 17-hour siege in which a gunman took 18 people hostage in a Sydney cafe ended with two hostages dead and the gunman killed by police.

Though the erratic gunman demanded that police deliver him an IS flag at the outset of the crisis, there was no evidence he had established contact with the militant group.

However, at a later inquest, the coroner of New South Wales said the gunman’s actions fell “within the accepted definition of terrorism”.
One person is killed and two others are injured by a knife-wielding man in Melbourne, Australia. The suspect, a 31-year-old Australian resident originally from Somalia, randomly stabbed pedestrians after exiting his burning, crashed utility truck that held multiple gas canisters. He was shot and killed attempting to stab responding police. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility.