One person was stabbed to death and two others were injured Friday in a knife attack in central Melbourne that Australian police said they are treating as a terrorist incident.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in Australia's second-largest city, without providing any evidence for the claim, according to Reuters news service.

Victoria State Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told a press conference that the male assailant stabbed three men before one of the responding police officers shot him once in the chest at the scene.

The man and one victim died at hospital, while two others were treated for injuries, according to the police.

(Getty/Kyodo)

Ashton said the attacker was known to the authorities at the state and federal level, mainly due to his relatives who are persons of interest to police.

The man arrived in Australia from Somalia in the mid-1990s, according to the police, who were reluctant to reveal further identifying information.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Twitter that he condemned the "evil and cowardly attack" and praised the bravery of the police. "Australians will never be intimidated by these appalling attacks."

Ashton said the police initially responded to calls about a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle on fire in the busy Bourke Street Mall shopping district at about 4:10 p.m. local time.

"One male person was in the vehicle. A fire was then started in that vehicle," he said, adding that the man subsequently got out of the vehicle and "engaged with some members of the public at that location."

Fire services discovered several "barbecue-style" gas bottles in the vehicle. However, police said they are unsure how the fire began.

Islamic State's Amaq news website said in a statement that the man was "one of Islamic State fighters," according to Reuters. The group often claims responsibility for attacks by individuals inspired by its message.

Bourke Street Mall, a pedestrian strip and shopping area popular with foreign tourists including Japanese, was previously the scene of car rampage in 2017 that left six people dead.