Crime & Justice

Man appears in Auckland court after restaurant axe attack

Sydney, Australia, June 20 (EFE).- A man appeared in a court on Auckland’s North Shore on Tuesday morning in connection to an axe attack carried out at three restaurants that wounded at least three people.

The incident took place around 9 pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday night in Albany, a suburb about 15 kilometers northwest of downtown Auckland, when customers of the block of Chinese restaurants were attacked with weapons, including an axe.

Police arrested the 24-year-old suspect at the scene and charged him with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, it said in a statement early Tuesday, warning further charges were likely.

Later Tuesday morning a Chinese national appeared at North Shore District Court charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and causing grievous bodily harm, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.

He was granted interim name, address and occupation suppression.

“We are reassuring the public there is no further risk to the public in relation to this incident and Police have no evidence to suggest this is a racially-motivated attack,” police said in a later statement.

St John Ambulance service told EFE that it treated three patients, two of whom were in serious condition and another in moderate condition.

A witness told the New Zealand Herald that he was having dinner when the suspect entered the restaurant carrying an axe and struck his friend, and the witness suffered injuries to his hands trying to block the axe.

After chasing the two wounded friends out onto the street, the suspect changed course and entered another restaurant and continued his attack, the witness said. EFE

wat/tw

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