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Police take a suspect into custody near the Countdown supermarket in Dunedin, New Zealand. OTD

Four stabbed in 'random' New Zealand knife attack

A man has since been taken into custody.

A KNIFE-WIELDING attacker has stabbed four people in a New Zealand supermarket, critically injuring three, in a rampage authorities said was “random” and not terror related.

Police said the attack – highly unusual in the normally peaceful South Pacific nation – occurred at a Countdown supermarket in the city of Dunedin at 2.30pm (3.30am Irish time) on Monday. A man has been taken into custody.

Witnesses told local media a man carrying two knives stabbed staff in the supermarket and bystanders who tried to stop him were also injured.

The most recent mass-casualty attack in New Zealand was the Christchurch mosques shootings in March 2019, when a white supremacist gunman murdered 51 Muslim worshippers and severely injured another 40.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her first question to police was whether the Dunedin attack had national security implications but they assured her it did not.

“At this stage, there’s nothing to suggest from the police’s perspective that this is what they would define as a domestic terror event,” she told reporters.

Southern police district commander Paul Basham characterised the incident as a “random attack” and said the perpetrator would face court on Tuesday.

Authorities initially reported five people were stabbed but later revised it down to four, with Basham saying the attacker received a minor injury during the incident.

He described the actions of those who stopped the man as “nothing short of heroic”, saying they had prevented more injuries.

Basham said three of the victims were due to undergo surgery overnight.

Countdown’s managing director Spencer Sonn said everyone at the supermarket chain was “shocked and devastated” by the attack.

New Zealand introduced tough gun laws in the wake of the Christchurch attack to limit access to firearms.

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    Mute The Leads Are Weak
    Favourite The Leads Are Weak
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:03 PM

    FOR PEAT SAKE!

    44
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    Mute Steve Hardy
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:00 PM

    Roll on the eco warriors complaining about the erosion of our natural resources etc.

    39
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    Mute Paddy Murphy
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:13 PM

    Is that not what eco warriors do though?

    17
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    Mute Robin Hilliard
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:27 PM

    I say burn the lot. Then when there’s nothing left, out kids can weep into the ashes!

    Loadsamoney!

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:48 PM

    I suppose looking ahead and seeing that massive swathes of habitat will disappear and not seeing that as a good thing is the alternative?

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    Mute Peter Dunne
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:08 PM

    Fairly crap returns for a company with 77,000 hectares

    33
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    Mute sluazcanal
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 9:50 PM

    I thought it was good for a company that has a very small time frame every year to harvest.

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    Mute BadDrivingIreland
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 7:59 PM

    It has been to asked, what does a dry summer yield then?

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:00 PM

    Er, lots of smiles? :)

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    Mute BadDrivingIreland
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 8:38 PM

    Er that don’t answer it for me. :-)

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    Mute Martin Jones
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 10:54 PM

    Pity that they burn all that peat in the power stations. Something not right about that

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    Mute bsj
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 10:03 PM

    Did the forget about the peat, when they were chasing the Gov to become board na Water

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    Mute Stephen Cullen
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    Jul 22nd 2013, 9:04 PM

    I’d say the board had a good aul moan. ;-/

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
    Favourite Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Jul 23rd 2013, 10:21 AM

    Well at least they’re scooping out the middle of Ireland and flogging it to the UK for their gardens and all that will be left is a great big brown swimming pool for further Irish heatwaves and bog snorkeling. They should have to subsidise compulsory swimming lessons on the national curriculum in exchange for the turf.

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