A man who went on a stabbing spree at a shopping center in Sydney's suburbs on Saturday killed six and injured eight others, including a nine-month-old baby.

He was fatally shot by police at the scene.

Police say the incident occurred around 3:30 pm at a shopping center in the eastern suburb of Bondi Junction.

Some of those who were taken to hospital suffered serious injuries.

The man is believed to have acted alone.

The police believe the suspect was a 40-year-old man, and are investigating his identity and the motives behind the incident.

They say there is no indication that it was a terror attack.

The shopping center is located about eight kilometers from central Sydney, in an area where stores and homes are concentrated.

As the incident took place on a Saturday afternoon, the center was busy with shoppers.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a news conference that the "devastating scenes" were "beyond words or understanding."

He called it "a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeted at innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping."