A man wearing a balaclava tried to stab several passersby in Sydney, according to media reports.
While the motive of the attack is not yet known, the man has been taken into custody, police said.
Images broadcast by Australian media showed the man running through the city with a large kitchen knife shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'shoot me'.
'There is a police operation that is ongoing in Central Business district (CBD),' a police spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The transport management centre told motorists to avoid King Street due to the operation.
Emergency services are on the site and traffic crews are responding.
Witnesses say the man attempted to stab multiple people near a busy intersection on Tuesday.
New South Wales police said in a statement that a man was arrested, and that a woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition. It was unclear whether the man stabbed anyone else.
A witness told reporters that the man was screaming comments about religion, before yelling to police that he wanted to be shot. Police said he used the Arabic phrase 'Allahu akbar.'