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NEW YORK - A woman attacked several people with knives in New York's Times Square, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring a 68-year-old man, police said on Monday.
The man was stabbed in the abdomen and was being treated in hospital, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. She did not provide further details on his condition and described the attack as a random and unprovoked attack.
Police officers responding after bystanders raised the alarm initially tried to talk to the woman, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. The situation then escalated, with officers using Tasers before shooting the attacker.
Tisch said the woman had threatened police and told them: "I will kill you."
Videos posted online showed a woman approaching police officers with two knives drawn, walking in short, quick steps, before gunshots were heard.
The attacker was a 49-year-old woman from the Queens borough who had a "mental health history," Tisch said.
The man she attacked had been waiting at a traffic light in Times Square, according to Tisch. The woman then attacked her second victim with a knife within 20 seconds, she said.
Police had not released the identities of the victims, including whether they were tourists, pending notification of their relatives, Tisch said. An investigation into the motive was ongoing, but there was no indication at this stage that the attack was terrorism-related, she added.
Police cordoned off the scene and closed nearby streets to traffic. Times Square is one of New York's best-known tourist attractions and is located in the heart of Manhattan. - BERNAMA
