Terror suspect stabs 6 in New Zealand before police shoot him down

Wellington, New Zealand — New Zealand authorities were so worried about an Islamic extremist they were following him around-the-clock and were able to shoot and kill him within 60 seconds of him unleashing a frenzied knife attack that wounded six people Friday at an Auckland supermarket. Three of those stabbed were seriously injured.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the incident was a terror attack. She said the man was a Sri Lankan national who was inspired by the Islamic State group (ISIS) and was well known to the nation's security agencies.   Ardern said she had been personally briefed on the man in the past but there had been no legal reason for him to be detained.   "Had he done something that would have allowed us to put him into prison, he would have been in prison," Ardern said. The attack unfolded at about 2:40 p.m. at a Countdown supermarket in New Zealand's largest city.   Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said a police surveillance team and a special tactics group had followed the man from his home to the supermarket.   But while they had grave ongoing concerns about the man, they had no particular reason to think he was planning an attack on Friday, Coster said. The man appeared to be going into the store to do his grocery shopping as he had in the past.   "He entered the store, as he had done before. He obtained a knife from within the store," Coster said. "Surveillance teams were as close as they possibly could be to monitor his activity."