image source, SUPPLIED
Australian police have identified the man who killed six people in a Sydney shopping center with a knife before being shot dead.
Joel Cauchi, 40, caused panic in the crowded Westfield Bondi Junction complex on Saturday when he began stabbing people with a knife.
The attack killed five women and a man, and several other people were injured, including an infant.
Authorities said the attack was likely “mental health related” to Cauchi.
Asked if she believed he was targeting women, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters on Sunday that would be a “clear line of inquiry”.
But she added that she would not describe the stabbings as a “terrorist act,” stressing that the police believe that “there is no ideological motive behind the attack.”
Cauchi was known to police, but was not arrested or charged in his home state of Queensland. He had lived a wandering life for several years and was first diagnosed with mental illness at the age of 17, according to Queensland Police.
New South Wales Police said initial searches at a small storage unit he owned in Sydney did not highlight a possible motive.
The authorities reported that they were still trying to inform the families of the victims, noting that two of the victims had no relatives in Australia.
But the family of Ashley Goode – the mother of the injured child – says she was among the dead. Eyewitnesses told local media that Mrs. Goode desperately transferred the baby to passers-by in the moments following her injury.
image source, NSW POLICE
One of the eyewitnesses said, “The mother was stabbed and came with the child and threw her at me while I carried her.”
Health Minister Ryan Park told ABC News that the nine-month-old girl “underwent surgery immediately and is currently in critical condition in the intensive care unit.”
He added: “Now, we are certainly hopeful that she will get through this, but we have a long way to go.”
Goode’s family members said they were “deeply devastated by the tremendous loss of Ashley; this beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all-around outstanding human being, and so much more.”
The family added in a statement on Sunday: “We greatly appreciate the overwhelming love that the Australian people have shown for Ashley and our child.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australians “face a new day trying to deal with the shock” of what happened.
Albanese described the attack as “truly indescribable and incomprehensible” and once again praised the actions of a senior policewoman who alone confronted Kauchi and shot and killed him while terror gripped the mall.
The Prime Minister said: “The brilliant inspector faced the danger herself and eliminated the threat he posed to others, without thinking about the risks to herself.”
Police revealed the officer’s identity on Sunday as Inspector Amy Scott, adding that she had no current plans to speak publicly about the incident.
image source, Getty Images
Others were also spoken of for their bravery, including a man holding a rope who was filmed staring down Kauchi on an escalator.
Authorities said nine people were taken to hospital after the stabbings, and that three more people sought medical care overnight. About 40 paramedics participated in dealing with the matter initially.
The shopping center in Sydney’s affluent east remained closed on Sunday as forensic investigators examined the scene.
By mid-afternoon, several hundred flower bouquets were placed near the entrance on Oxford Street.
Many of those who placed the bouquets were crying. Several volunteers wearing bright green vests marked “Mental Health” were available to talk to anyone who felt they needed support.
Among those who laid out bouquets was Yvonne Russell, who has lived in the area for 35 years. She told the BBC: “I was shocked. The incident affects us directly, and I am trying to comprehend it. This is our backyard. We work from Monday to Friday and then go shopping on Saturday, so we could easily have been the victims.”
image source, HANDOUT
Many world leaders also expressed their shock. New Zealand Leader Christopher Luxon said that all New Zealanders were thinking of those affected, while British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “the victims are in the thoughts and prayers of the British people.”
Pope Francis said he was deeply saddened by the “incomprehensible tragedy.” King Charles said that he and Queen Camilla were “completely shocked,” and added, “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims.”
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