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MELBOURNE, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Authorities in Australia say a man shot and killed by police after he stabbed two officers was a "known terror suspect" with Islamic State sympathies. Parliament identified Abdul Numan Haider, 18, as the man killed outside the Endeavour Hills police station in Melbourne late Tuesday night.
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Haider had been asked to attend an interview and stabbed counter-terrorism officers several times before one of the officers shot him.
"One [officer] extended his hand to shake [Haider's] hand and the response has been he's been stabbed in the arm," Victoria Police Commissioner Ken Lay said. "The attacker then turned on the second police member and stabbed him three or four times in the body and in the head."
Lay confirmed media reports Haider had a flag, but would not say if it was the now infamous black flag indicating IS.
"It is true to say there was a flag involved, whether it was [IS] or not is not absolutely clear to me but there are some concerns about that issue," Lay said.
Haider was identified by Justice Minister Michael Keenan in Parliament as a member of the radical group al-Furqan and a "known terror suspect who was a person of interest to law enforcement and intelligence agencies."
Both injured officers underwent surgery and are in stable condition.
"Obviously, this indicates that there are people in our community who are capable of very extreme acts," said Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly this week. "It also indicates that the police will be constantly vigilant to protect us against people who would do us harm."
