At least three people were killed, including the attacker, and six others were wounded after a man opened fire in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday, hours before the opening match of the Women’s World Cup, Reuters and CNN reported.

Premier Chris Hipkins said the soccer tournament would go ahead as planned, adding that the shooting appeared to be the work of an individual and police were not looking for anyone in connection with the incident.

“No political or ideological motivation has been identified for the shooting, and therefore there was no risk to national security,” Hipkins said in a televised press statement.

New Zealand’s security threat level will not change, but the police presence in the city will be increased, Hipkins said.

Emergency services arrived in the city center shortly after 7:00 a.m. local time on Thursday (10:00 p.m. Romanian time on Wednesday) after receiving information that a man armed with a pump-action shotgun had opened fire at a construction site.

“He was walking around the construction site, unloading his weapon. Having reached the upper floors of the building, the man locked himself in the elevator. Shots rang out, and soon he was located,” the prime minister said.

Later, the man was found dead.

Hipkins added that the actions of the police officers, who “ran into the middle of the fire, right into the path of danger, to save the lives of others,” were “simply heroic.”

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Koster said one police officer was shot while trying to fight the attacker and four civilians suffered “moderate to serious injuries”.

This was clarified by Koster the suspect was under house arrest but had a release work at the construction site where the shooting occurred, and the incident is likely related to his work there.

The man had “history of domestic violence”but “there’s nothing to indicate that it poses a high level of risk,” Koster also said. The person did not have a weapon permit.

New Zealand police said the shooting did not pose a threat to national security, and officials confirmed the Women’s World Cup opening ceremony and first match – between the host nation and Norway – would go ahead as planned.

Auckland’s central business district, where the shooting incident took place, is the city’s commercial hub, a base for major international companies and the gateway to a famous harbor with restaurants and bars, home to the main ferry terminal.

In New Zealand, shootings are relatively rare, especially after the introduction of strict firearms laws in 2019, after a mass gun attack in Christchurch killed 50 people, News.ro writes.

Football players from the World Cup reported that they were not injured

Thousands of international footballers and tourists are currently in Auckland for the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The shooting happened near the hotel where the Norwegian team is staying, and several players reported on social media that they were safe.

“Everything seems calm and we are preparing normally for today’s game,” Norway captain Maren Mjelde told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang during the police operation.

Italy’s practice has been postponed because the players cannot leave their hotel, and Team USA said all its players and staff are safe.

Also, Douglas Emhoff, the husband of American Vice President Kamala Harris, who heads the US delegation to New Zealand at the opening ceremony of the World Cup, is safe, the US Embassy said.

Several streets in Auckland are closed, all ferry services in the city are canceled and buses are detouring to certain areas of the city.

The FIFA fan festival, which was held a few blocks away from the shooting, was also postponed.

“It seems that this is the act of one person. This was not a threat to national security and was not related to the Women’s World Cup,” Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown confirmed in a statement.