Brave Australian man tries to stop knife-wielding attacker on escalator

A lone man, armed with a shopping centre bollard, confronted the knife-wielding attacker on an escalator at the Bondi Junction Westfield in Sydney today (13 April).

In a video circulating on social media, the man could be seen  wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

His act was described by netizens as "bravery personified", "an absolute hero", "a god-tier legend" and deserving of an Order of Australia medal, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The video showed the man was standing at the top of an escalator, holding the bollard up in the air like a projectile, with its heavy base pointed toward the attacker, and moving toward him. Meanwhile, the attacker was moving up the stairs, clutching a knife.

But the clip did not show how the confrontation concluded.

Bondi Rescue lifeguard Andy Reid was shopping for a bed in Myer as Saturday's attack unfolded, and attended to a woman who was bleeding on the fourth floor.

Reid later told Nine News, "I just saw the footage of the guy with the bollard, I reckon he's the real hero here."

It was among a number of confronting videos and images posted on social media as the horrifying rampage unfolded inside the shopping centre on a busy Saturday afternoon. At least six people were killed, authorities said on Saturday evening, and the attacker shot dead by police.

A separate video posted on TikTok showed two people in plain clothes – one of whom was carrying a chair – following a police officer as she ran through the shopping centre.

It was later revealed the officer - an inspector who happened to be nearby at the time - located, confronted and fatally shot the attacker.

The 40-year-old attacker stabbed six people to death at the Sydney shopping mall on Saturday before being fatally shot by the officer.

Five of the six victims killed were women, while eight people, including a nine-month-old baby who is now being treated in surgery, were injured in the attack.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the attacker was known to police. "We are waiting to confirm his identification," she said.

She added that police do not have fears that he was "holding an ideation - in other words it is not a terrorism incident."