A shooting has left two people dead in the center of Auckland, New Zealand, hours before the city is due to open the Fifa Women’s World Cup, the BBC reports.
Six other people, including police officers, were injured and the gunman is also dead after the incident at 07:22 (19:22 GMT) on a construction site in the central business district.
PM Chris Hipkins said the attack was not being seen as an act of terrorism.
The tournament would go ahead as planned, he confirmed.
While no political or ideological motive for the attack had been identified, police had neutralized the threat and the public could be assured that there was no ongoing risk, the prime minister said.
He added that the gunman had been armed with a pump-action shotgun when he arrived at a construction site on Queen Street on Thursday morning.
Mr Hipkins thanked “the brave men and women of the New Zealand police who ran into the gunfire, straight into harm’s way, in order to save the lives of others.
“These kinds of situations move fast and the actions of those who risk their lives to save others are nothing short of heroic”.
According to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, all Fifa personnel and football teams are safe and have been accounted for. Earlier, he had warned people to stay home and avoid travelling into the city.
