A man, inspired by ISIS ideology, who entered a New Zealand supermarket and stabbed at least six people was a “violent extremist” known to the police, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said.

Police shot and killed the individual within 60 seconds of starting the attack, which wounded at least six people at a Countdown store in the city.

The man was a Sri Lankan national and had been living in New Zealand since 2016.

“A violent extremist undertook a terrorist attack on innocent New Zealanders,” Jacinda Ardern told a briefing on Friday.

He had been known to multiple agencies since 2016, with Ms Ardern confirming she had been personally aware of the individual, adding that she was personally gutted to hear what had happened.

She said: “This was someone who was known to our national security agencies and was of concern and was being monitored constantly. There are very few that fall into this category.”

Described as a “lone wolf”, she said the attacker was a “supporter of ISIS” and inspired by extremist ideology.

The man was not allowed to be kept in prison by law, she said.

Police confirmed a man entered a New Lynn supermarket and injured multiple people – all believed to be shoppers.

Videos posted on social media showed the scene shortly after the attacker struck.

“There’s someone here with a knife … he’s got a knife,” a woman can be heard saying in one.

Another video records the sound of ten shots being fired in rapid succession.

Ms Ardern said any backlash against the Muslim community “would be wrong”, and said the attacker “is who is responsible, no one else”.

“What happened today was despicable, it was hateful, it was wrong. It was carried out by an individual, not a faith,” she added.

The security in the country will remain at a medium level.

Auckland is on a strict lockdown as it battles an outbreak of the coronavirus. Most businesses \are shut and people are generally only allowed to leave their homes to buy groceries, for medical needs, or to exercise.

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