A passer-by who came face to face with an ISIS-inspired terrorist during New Zealand's supermarket attack has told how he confronted the knifeman with a pole just seconds before he was shot dead by police.
Amit Nand said he saw a woman lying on the floor bleeding before confronting the attacker who stabbed six shoppers at a West Auckland supermarket on Friday afternoon.
'A lot of people were running my way saying run, just run out of the building,' he told The Project New Zealand on Friday night.
Amit Nand has described the moment he came face-to-face with the Auckland terror attack knifeman as he confronted him with a pole
'Then I saw a lady laying on the floor there bleeding and she was like "help, help". And I thought to myself "I've got to do something" and then I saw the guy with the knife.'
He said the attacker had a large knife on him and was repeating 'Allah, Allah' as he lunged at shoppers at the Countdown supermarket in New Lynn Mall.
Another shopper at the supermarket had a pole and gave it to Nand, who grabbed it and told the terrorist to drop the knife he was wielding.
'I saw the guy with the knife and he's like "Allah, Allah" with the knife up,' Mr Nand said.
'I had another guy come in front of me and he was a cop and was like "I'm an undercover cop, step back step back, I'm going to shoot him".'
Nand stepped back and heard five shots. He said that by looking at him, he knew the terrorist wanted to kill people.
The man, who was shot dead by police, was a known threat risk since 2016 and was under 'constant police surveillance', Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
She described him as an 'Isis-inspired known threat.'
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the knifeman was a known risk since 2016
He had previously been arrested for planning a 'lone wolf' knife attack and was under watch due to his extremist views and sympathies with Isis.
Before the attack, police were following the man as he walked to the shopping centre from his home. He then took a knife from a shelf and began his attack.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the man was 'closely watched by surveillance teams and a strategic tactical team' during this time.
'The reality is when you are surveilling someone on a 24-hour basis it is not possible to be immediately next to them,' he said.
The knifeman was shot and killed by police within roughly 60 seconds of the attack starting.
Police were surveilling the man and shot and killed him within roughly 60 seconds of the attack starting
A total of six people were stabbed before the man was gunned down, three of whom are in a critical condition in hospital.
Two major abdominal cavity surgeries are reportedly underway, The New Zealand Herald reported.
While the man is not currently identified due to court suppression orders, a spokesperson for the prime minister said the government is seeking to lift these orders.
The knifeman, who's identity is currently unknown due to court suppression orders, is a Sri Lankan national who arrived in New Zealand in 2011
'This was a violent attack on innocent New Zealanders. It was senseless,' Ardern said.
'It was undertaken by an individual who was a known threat.'
'The terrorist is a Sri Lankan national who arrived in 2011.'
She said the terror alert level in the country will remain at medium.