By Scott Murdoch and Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The man who stabbed six people to death in Sydney had past mental health problems and there was no indication that ideology was the motive behind the attack in one of the city’s busiest shopping centres, police said Sunday.
The attacker, identified by police as Joel Cauchi, was known to police in the neighboring state of Queensland, and police spoke to his family after Saturday’s attack, New York’s deputy police commissioner told a news conference. South Wales, Anthony Cooke.
Witnesses described how Cauchi, wearing shorts and an Australian national rugby team shirt, ran through Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center with a knife, randomly attacking people.
Some shoppers and staff at the mall in Sydney’s east tried to stop him and the crowd took refuge in closed shops.
“We’ve seen footage of Australian citizens putting themselves in harm’s way to help their fellow citizens. That courage was truly extraordinary,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday. “He is the best of Australians in the midst of this tragedy.”
The 40-year-old attacker stabbed six people to death and injured at least 12 before he was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone while he was on a rampage.
“This was a terrible scene,” Cooke said.
“At this point there is still nothing that we have, no information that we have received, no evidence that we have recovered or information that we have gathered that suggests that this was driven by any particular motivation, ideology or anything else.”
Attacks like Saturday’s are rare in Australia, a country of about 26 million people with some of the toughest gun and knife laws in the world.
Cauchi had recently moved to Sydney. Police said they searched a small warehouse he had recently rented but found no major evidence to suggest an attack was imminent.
Five of the six people killed were women and the male victim was a mall security guard, police said.
Among those taken to hospital with stab wounds was a nine-month-old baby, who was in serious but stable condition, police said on Sunday. The child’s mother, Ashlee Good, died in hospital from her injuries, her family said in a statement.
There was a heavy police presence at the mall on Sunday, which was closed to customers, with nearby streets closed. A mound of floral tributes to the victims began to grow, with mourners arriving every few minutes.
“The individual stories of those who were killed, the complete strangers running to help as well as the acts of bravery and courage mean that whether or not you know the people who were killed, you are grieving today,” New said The Premier of the state of South Wales, Chris Minns.
“The entire state will support those families in the days ahead as they recover and navigate the inevitable grief of such a horrific event.”
Britain’s King Charles, Australia’s head of state, posted on the royal family’s X account: “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who were brutally killed during such a senseless attack.”