Daesh Reportedly Claims Responsibility For Melbourne Attack

Earlier in the day, a Somali man stabbed one person to death and wounded two more after torching his car, which was laden with gas cylinders, on Bourke Street in Melbourne.

Daesh terrorist group* has stated that one of its fighters conducted a recent stabbing attack in Melbourne on Friday, Reuters reported, adding that no evidence for the claim has been provided.

Prior to the statement, Victoria's Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said that police were treating the incident as a terror attack.

READ MORE: Top Four Most Recent Knife Attacks in Australia

Earlier on Friday, police shot a man who stabbed one person to death and wounded two more in the centre of Melbourne. The suspect reportedly died after he had been hospitalized following a confrontation with police.

The local police have not yet publicly identified the man. However, the NZ Herald stated that in 2009, he was acquitted for his role in a terrorist plot; he'd aimed to launch a suicide attack at Sydney's Holsworthy army barracks.

On Saturday, Ian McCartney, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner, told reporters, "there are links to the Islamic State," however the link was more of an inspirational nature than direct contact between the terror group and the assailant. 

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.