Sydney - A teenager who was shot dead by counter-terrorism police in Australia after he stabbed two officers in Melbourne was a terrorism suspect, authorities said on Wednesday.
The unidentified 18-year-old was being investigated for allegedly displaying an Islamic State flag and making threats against Prime Minister Tony Abbott, police said.
"The person in question was a known terror suspect who was a person of interest to law enforcement and intelligence agencies," Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters.
"The shooting by the police officer was in self-defence," he said.
Police said the teenager went to a police station on Tuesday night and drew a knife and stabbed two police officers in the parking lot.
One of the officers shot and killed him and a bomb squad was called to sweep his car.
Keenan said the police officers were in a stable condition in hospital.
Some reports said the teenager was of Afghan descent. Muslim leaders in the state of Victoria called for an investigation.
The incident comes a week after Australia launched its biggest-ever national counter-terrorism operation to target people with suspected links to Islamist militant groups in the Middle East, some of whom were allegedly involved in a plot to behead members of the public.
Abbott, whose government has since put forward tougher terrorism laws, is in New York for Wednesday's special UN Security Council meeting to issue of Islamic State foreign fighters.
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