Kelsey Vlamis
Published:September 5, 2021
-Yahoo News
New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown announced Saturday it removed all knives and scissors from its shelves, one day after a man stabbed six people inside one of its stores.
“Last night, we made the decision to temporarily remove all knives and scissors from our shelves while we consider whether we should continue to sell them,” Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s general manager for safety, said in a statement.
“This is in no way a reflection on our customers, but an act of support for our team. We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday,” she said.”
On Friday, police shot and killed a man who stabbed six people in the Countdown supermarket in Auckland in what authorities described as a terrorist attack by an ISIS supporter.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference Friday that “a violent extremist undertook a terrorist attack on innocent New Zealanders.”
The suspect, who was from Sri Lanka, was already known to police due to his support for ISIS, Ardern said. She said police were able to kill him within 60 seconds of him starting the attack because they were already monitoring him.
Three victims were transported to hospitals in critical condition, two were in serious condition and one was in moderate condition, the Associated Press reported.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the suspect, who has not been named, got the knife from within the store, according to AP.
The last terrorist attack in New Zealand occurred in 2019, when a gunman opened fire at a mosque in Christchurch, killing 51 people. It was the deadliest attack in New Zealand’s history and prompted a strengthening of the country’s gun laws.
