Sydney knife attacker who killed six at mall ‘was targeting women’
AUSTRALIAN police said today it was “obvious” that a man who went on a knife rampage in a Sydney shopping centre had targeted women.
Five of the six people killed by homeless assailant Joel Cauchi at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall were female. The majority of the 12 others injured in the attack, which took place near Bondi Beach, were also women.
The female victims were Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, and Chinese student Cheng Yixuan, 27.
Ms Good’s nine-month-old daughter Harriet was also stabbed. She had surgery and her condition improved last night from critical to serious. The only man killed was security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene.
CCTV footage from the mall showed Cauchi targeting women while avoiding men. New South Wales police commissioner said: “The videos speak for themselves, don’t they? It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives... that the offender focused on women and avoided the men. We don’t know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that’s why it’s important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him.”
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese told ABC Radio that the targeting of the victims was “concerning”.
Asked about any links between the attacker and misogynist networks, he said: “All of that investigation will take place. It will be comprehensive, and nothing will not be looked at.” Emergency services were called to the shopping centre shortly before 4pm local time on Saturday, following reports that multiple people had been stabbed.
Witnesses described how Cauchi, wearing an Australian national rugby league jersey, ran through the shopping centre before he was eventually shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him solo. Police have ruled out terrorism as a motive and said Cauchi, 40, from Queensland, had a history of mental health issues.
His family said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time... we have no issues with the police officer who shot our son.”