Man killed by Australian police a 'known terror suspect'

Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan said Wednesday that the man killed by police was "a known terror suspect who was a person of interest to law enforcement and intelligence agencies."

The 18-year-old man was killed on Tuesday evening after arriving at a police station in the outskirts of Melbourne.

He had been asked by to attend a "routine" interview in relation to an investigation, Victoria state police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius said. When he was met by two police officers, the man pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed them until one of the officers shot him dead, Cornelius added.

"Our members had no inkling that this individual posed a threat to them and as far as we are concerned, it was going to be an amicable discussion about that individual's behavior," said Cornelius, who did not release the suspect's name. He added the officer had "no choice" but to shoot.

Keenan echoed Cornelius' statement that Tuesday's attack was unprovoked, saying "it appears that the shooting by the police officer was in self-defense."

Both police officers were taken to a hospital after the incident and were in stable condition.

Reported IS links

The man was said to have displayed the flag of the militant group "Islamic State" (IS) and local media reported his passport had been revoked. Keenan would not confirm those details, saying they "are still being investigated."

On Monday, IS released a statement urging the indiscriminate killing of citizens from the countries participating in airstrikes Obama: 'Not America's fight alone':currently ongoing in Iraq and Syria# against the militant group. Australia was singled out, along with the United States, Canada and France.

Keenan said he had briefed Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is in New York for a United Nations Security Council Meeting, on the attack.

Australia earlier this month raised its terror warning to the second-highest level, saying the increased domestic threat was due to IS supporters. Sixteen people were detained in counterterrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane last week. One was charged with conspiring with an IS leader in Syria to kidnap and behead a randomly selected person, another faces a lesser weapons charge, the rest were released.

dr/crh (AP, AFP, Reuters)