Australia Police Shoots Dead Terror Suspect After He Stabs Two Police Officers

Australian police  shot dead a terror suspect Wednesday after he stabbed two counter terrorism police officers.

Eighteen years old Numan Haider was asked to come to the Endeavour Hills police station in the southern state of Victoria. The police wanted to question Haider about some misdemeanors.

An Australian Federal Police officer and a Victoria state police officer, who were part of the  Joint Counter Terrorism Team, met Haider outside the station. They exchanged handshakes after which Haider suddenly stabbed the two officers, said Australian Federal Police Commander Bruce Giles, reports the Associated Press.

One of the injured policeman then shot him dead.

"Our members had no inkling that this individual posed a threat to them and as far as we were concerned, it was going to be an amicable discussion about that individual's behavior," said Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius.

Cornelius said that the injured officer had no other choice than to shoot.

Police said that Haider had displayed a flag of the Islamic State militant group at a local shopping mall. The law enforcement officials were also keeping a tab on the teenager due to his behavior.

He also yelled insults against Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the government before he was shot, reports Reuters.

The teenager's passport was cancelled last month on national security grounds.

"I can advise that the person in question was a known terror suspect who was a person of interest to law enforcement and intelligence agencies," Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters on Wednesday.

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot said that the incident shows that there are people in the Australian community capable of  extreme actions, reports Reuters.

The two officers who were stabbed are said to be in stable condition. The federal police officer was stabbed in his face, shoulder and abdomen. He underwent a surgery on Tuesday night. The Victorian police officer, who was stabbed in the arm, will undergo  surgery on Wednesday, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.