Harrowing video shows police and bystanders fighting off a crazed terrorist before an officer shoots him in the chest and brings the deadly rampage to an end.
The attacker swings a knife wildly as an officer puts up his arm to defend himself and two hero passers-by wield a shopping trolley and a chair to keep him at bay.
Footage shows an officer pointing their gun at the man and opening fire, and the man clutching his chest and grimacing in pain as he falls to the floor in central Melbourne, Australia.
Terrified eyewitnesses captured the dramatic scenes in busy Bourke Street on their mobile phones as the attacker knifed three people - killing one - and then lunged at officers.
The assailant was later pronounced dead in hospital.
The terror group ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing any evidence to support their claim.
The lone knifeman had set a truck on fire on a pavement before launching the attack on random passers-by just after 4pm on Friday.
He allegedly tossed "something like a bomb" into the burning vehicle - which was filled with "barbecue-style" gas cylinders, according to police.
One man was stabbed to death and two other men were in hospital.
Police said the officers who were attacked had minor injuries including cuts.
The attacker was in a critical condition after being shot in the chest. He died in hospital after 30 minutes after he arrived.
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| Police surround the attacker after he stabbed three people |
Police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident, and they say the attacker was born on Somalia and moved to Australia in the 1990s.
Eyewitnesses told of terrifying scenes as the man torched the truck and began stabbing people at random.
Terrified shoppers and workers ran for their lives and police sprinting towards the scene told people to flee as the dramatic incident unfolded.
An eyewitness, Meegan May, wrote on Twitter: "Guy in #bourkest seems to have set his car on fire then attacked police with a knife.
"Police response was swift and overwhelming. I heard at least one gunshot initially."
Eyewitnesses told ABC reporter Joanna Crothers that the man "threw a bomb into the car" and then attacked police.
Footage on Twitter shows eyewitnesses gathered around a bloodied victim on the pavement as the truck burns on the opposite side of the road and a police officer and an eyewitness defend themselves against the attacker nearby.
The eyewitness pushes a shopping trolley towards the man - who swings the knife wildly - and then falls to the floor. He gets back onto his feet and tries to assist police again, along with another eyewitness who was wielding a chair.
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| The officer fires one shot towards the man's upper body |
An officer swings his baton at the man as the incident moves along the street until the man is shot outside a row of shops.
Video shows an officer pointing their gun and firing, and the knife-wielding man clutching his chest and grimacing in pain as he falls to the floor.
Police move towards him slowly as additional officers arrive and the burning truck explodes.
The wounded man was rolled onto his stomach and his hands were cuffed behind his back before being taken to hospital.
The officers and the eyewitnesses who helped police try to subdue the attacker have been hailed as heroes by social media users. The man with the trolley has been dubbed "Trolley Man" on Twitter.
James Law, deputy editor of News.com.au, tweeted: "Trolley Man is the hero we need right now."
The area was locked down after the incident, and people have been told to stay away until police give the all clear.
In the aftermath, a bomb squad was carrying out a sweep of the scene in case there were explosives.
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