‘Obvious’ Sydney killer targeted women, police say

The man who went on a stabbing rampage in a Sydney shopping centre appears to have targeted women, police say.

Joel Cauchi, 40, sent the crowded Westfield Bondi Junction complex into panic on Saturday when he began stabbing people with a long blade.

Five of the six people who died were women. Several others, including a baby, were injured.

The New South Wales police commissioner told Australia’s ABC News that it was “obvious” Mr Cauchi focused on women.

The only man killed in the attack was security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene. He was a refugee from Pakistan who had only been in Australia “for a short period of time”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Triple M radio on Monday.

“The videos speak for themselves, don’t they?” commissioner Karen Webb said.

“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.”

Mr Albanese also told ABC News “the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning”.

Four people who were injured during the rampage have since been discharged from hospital. Another eight continue to receive care in conditions ranging from serious to stable according to local media.

Authorities previously said the attack was most likely “related to the mental health” of Mr Cauchi, who was shot dead by a lone police officer on Saturday.

He was already known to police but had never been arrested or charged in his home state Queensland. He had lived itinerantly for several years and was first diagnosed with a mental illness at 17, Queensland Police said.

The attack – at one of the country’s biggest and most popular shopping centres – has shocked Australia, where mass killings are rare.

“It’s a devastating day for New South Wales,” the state’s premier Chris Minns said in an address. Mr Minns also announced an A$18m ($11.6m; £9.3m) inquiry into the police response, and the interactions the killer had previously had with government agencies.

He also flagged the possibility of erecting a permanent memorial at Bondi to remember the six victims, during an interview with ABC News.

Flags across the nation were being flown at half-mast on Monday and the sails of Sydney Opera House will be lit up in tribute to the victims.

Crowds of mourners have flocked to Bondi Junction, leaving flowers and cards to those killed in the attack.

Ashlee Good, 38, was stabbed while trying to protect her nine-month-old baby girl, who was also injured and rushed to surgery. After hours of emergency surgery, her condition has improved significantly, state officials said.

“In the darkest of times comes sometimes the brightest of lights and it’s something our whole country was holding its breath [for],” Health Minister Ryan Park said on Monday.

Police have also named architect Jade Young, 47, and 55-year-old Pikria Darchia as victims, while Dawn Singleton, 25, has been identified by local media.

In a post on social media, Ms Singleton’s employer remembered her as “a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her”.

Mr Albanese confirmed that Cheng Yixuan, a Chinese student who was studying in Australia – was the final victim. Members of her family have been informed and are currently on their way to Australia, ABC News reported.