A 32-year-old Indian national was shot dead by the Australian police after he allegedly stabbed a cleaner and threatened police officers with a knife, a report said. The report in Sydney Morning Herald identified the Indian national as Mohamed Rahmathullah Syed Ahmed while the Indian Consulate General in Australia said that he was from Tamil Nadu and was living in Auburn on a bridging visa.
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Mohamed Rahmathullah Syed Ahmed stabbed a cleaner and then threatened police officers with a knife before being fatally shot by the police, the report said adding that he attacked the 28-year-old cleaner at Auburn train station in Sydney’s west before arriving at Auburn police station about five minutes later.
Indian Consulate General in Australia told The Sydney Morning Herald, “The incident is extremely disturbing and unfortunate. We have formally taken up the matter with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, NSW Office as well as state police authorities.”
Mohamed Rahmathullah Syed Ahmed was treated at the scene by paramedics after being shot and was then rushed to Westmead Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the report added.
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NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said that officers had just seconds to respond and were left with no choice but to shoot Mohamed Rahmathullah Syed Ahmed.
“I fully support these officers. It’s traumatic. It’s a significant incident at one of our police stations. There just isn’t an impending time. It is immediate. He launches through the glass doors at the officers; they had very little time to react,” the police assistant said.
“Obviously, when someone armed themselves with a knife and stabs an individual and then tries to attack police, which is the CCTV footage, [it] is highly concerning. When that’s involved, it triggers a number of intelligence responses and investigative responses which we’re dealing with,” he added.
