40-year-old itinerant with no motive behind Sydney mall attack
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Australian police said that there is no evidence to suggest that the attacker was driven by any particular motivation or ideology.
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Tactical police leave Westfield Shopping Centre, where multiple people were stabbed in Sydney, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP)
Following the stabbing rampage in a Sydney shopping center in the Bondi Junction neighborhood, killing six people, one of whom is a new mom whose nine-month-old baby is hospitalized with severe injuries, the Australian police revealed that the attacker was a 40-year-old itinerant with mental illness.
The assailant was a man from Queensland called Joel Cauchi, New South Wales police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said.
He added there was no evidence to suggest Cauchi was "driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise."
"We know that the offender in the matter suffered from suffers from, mental health," Cooke said.
Mental illness and a storage unit
Police also said that Cauchi was diagnosed with a mental illness when he was 17, however, they do not know why he turned violent.
Over the last four to five years, Cauchi had been in contact with police several times but has never been arrested or charged with any offense, Queensland police revealed.
He is believed to have traveled to Sydney about a month ago where his personal belongings, including a boogie board, were found in a storage unit.
Cauchi had been living in a vehicle and hostels of late, according to his parents who also revealed that he was only in occasional random contact with them via text.
In a statement, they offered police their condolences to their son's victims and their families, sending a message of "support " to the officer who killed him, "expressing their concerns for her welfare."
The attack
On April 13, crowds evacuated a Sydney shopping mall close to Bondi Beach in Australia as local media outlets stated that gunfire was heard within the Westfield Mall at Bondi Junction, near Bondi Beach, a popular destination for locals and tourists.
Police declared a critical incident after Cauchi was shot following reports of multiple stabbings.
Cauchi killed five women and a security guard as 12 others are still hospitalized due to his stabbing rampage.
Cauchi was tracked down and shot dead by solo senior police officer Amy Scott, who was instantly praised by Australia's prime minister as a "hero" who had saved countless lives.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also released a statement shortly after the attack saying “I have been briefed by the AFP on the devastating events at Bondi Junction. Tragically, multiple casualties have been reported and the first thoughts of all Australians are with those affected and their loved ones."
"Our hearts go out to those injured and we offer our thanks to those caring for them as well as our brave police and first responders,” Albanese emphasized.
