Australian police

Australian police on Tuesday said a brutal knife attack during a live-streamed church service was a religiously motivated "terrorist" act, as they urged calm from the angered local community.

Two people were stabbed when a 16-year-old suspect rushed the dais at an Assyrian Christian church in western Sydney late Monday, slashing wildly at the bishop who was giving a sermon.

Australian police said Monday they are investigating why a 40-year-old man with mental illness appeared to target women as he roamed a Sydney shopping mall with a large knife, killing six people and injuring a dozen more.

Six people were killed and several others injured — including a small child — when a knife-wielding attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday, Australian police said.

Multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified assailant, who was shot dead by a policewoman at the scene.

Packages of the cocaine seized by Australian police on the cargo ship St Pinot. Photo: Australian Federal Police.Photo: Australian Federal Police

Australian authorities reported that Pinot's captain, M. B., and its chief engineer, R.V., both from Montenegro, were charged with smuggling cocaine worth 375 million US dollars, believed to have come from South America.

Australian police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney on Saturday, at illegal rallies against quarantine and "measures" imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.
Victoria State Police said six police officers were hospitalized.

Dutch police said on Jan. 23 they had arrested the alleged leader of a sprawling Asian drug syndicate who is listed as one of the world's most-wanted fugitives and has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Until now, it was considered that Russia should be held responsible for the downing of the plane, which killed all passengers and crew members (a total of 283 passengers, including 80 children, and 15 crew members), as the aircraft was shot down over the territory of Ukraine controlled by rebels supported by Russia.

One of Australia's busiest international airports was locked down after a man brandished a knife and made a bomb threat at a food court, prompting travellers to flee in panic, officials said Sunday, reported AFP.

Australian police were investigating the delivery of suspicious packages sent to foreign embassies and consulates in Melbourne and Canberra, including the Turkish consulate, police and diplomatic sources said on Jan. 9.

Police, fire crews and ambulances were seen at a number of diplomatic offices in Melbourne, including those of India, Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea.

Authorities in Serbia have arrested three Australian citizens as part of a joint investigation with Australian police in connection with the second-largest seizure of cocaine in Australia's history.

The three men were arrested in a Belgrade hotel lobby on January 18 with a bag containing 620,00 euros ($784,000) and thousands of dollars in various currencies from Asia and Europe.