Britons hailed as ‘heroes’ after restraining man accused of Sydney knife attack | Australia news

Two Britons have helped restrain man accused of a stabbing attack in broad daylight in the centre of Sydney.

Police and ambulances responded to reports of an armed man at around 2pm in heart of the city’s business district. Police said the man allegedly stabbed a woman in the back and and “attempted to stab multiple people”.

Video from the scene showed the alleged attacker jumping on top of a car in the street waving a knife. The vehicle drove off and the man jumped to the ground before being approached by members of the public.

“Shoot me, fucking shoot me in the fucking head, shoot me, I want to fucking die,” he can be heard shouting on footage of the event.

Paul O’Shaughnessy, 37, and his brother Luke, 30, from Manchester, were in their office when they heard a disturbance outside the building. The brothers and two of their colleagues saw the alleged attacker wielding what Paul said was knife and covered in blood, and chased him.

He told media at the scene that together with other onlookers, they managed to subdue the alleged offender. Paul said the man yelled “extremist” slogans, but declined to repeat what he had said.

Other footage on social media showed members of the public and firefighters restraining him on the ground with cafe chairs and milk crates.

Police described the people who restrained the man as “heroes”.

“I want to acknowledge those members of the public who got involved. They were significantly brave people … They are heroes,” Supt Gavin Wood said.

Police confirmed they were investigating a number of crime scenes and that they believe the man acted on his own. They asked people to avoid the area.