Australian police probe why man who stabbed 6 people to death in a Sydney mall targeted women
"sorry to hear about the terrorist attack in Sydney. Looks like you have some very brave citizens and one outstanding female police officer that was able to neutralize that slug. Never good to hear about innocent lives being taken, especially in that manner."
We really must spend more money and time on mental health around the world. No way we could ever help every one to avoid tragedies as this one, still we could do better.
By Rod McGuirk?|?AP April 15, 2024 at 8:49 a.m. EDT
(Mark Baker/AP)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian police are examining why a lone assailant who stabbed six people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall and injured more than a dozen others targeted women while avoiding men, a police commissioner said on Monday. The killer’s father blamed his son’s frustration at not having a girlfriend.
Police shot and killed the homeless assailant, Joel Cauchi, during his knife attack in the Westfield Bondi Junction mall on Saturday near world-famous Bondi Beach.
Police have ruled out terrorism and said the 40-year-old had a history of mental illness.
New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said detectives would question Cauchi’s family in a bid to determine his motive. CCTV footage from the mall showed Cauchi targeted women with the 30 centimeter knife.
“The videos speak for themselves, don’t they? And that’s certainly a line of inquiry for us,” Webb said.
“It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives that that seems to be an area of interest: that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men,” Webb added.
The attacker’s father, Andrew Cauchi, said he knew why his son, who suffered from schizophrenia, had targeted women.
“Because he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain,” the visibly distraught 76-year-old told reporters outside his home in Toowoomba in Queensland state, an 870-kilometer (540-mile) drive across the New South Wales border from Sydney.
“He’s my son, and I’m loving a monster. To you, he’s a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy. Believe me, he was a very sick boy,” the father added.
[Insert: I'm with you, pop. Absolute tragedy for all involved.]
The only male killed was Faraz Tahir, a Pakistani refugee who worked at the mall as a security guard. Tahir had not been armed.
Webb said most of the 12 victims who survived their wounds were also women.
The evidence will be provided to a coroner to report on the circumstances of the deaths.
Webb expected the coroner would also address the question of whether security guards at the mall, which is one of Australia’s largest, should be armed.
The families of two victims based overseas had been advised of their deaths, police said. Those victims are Tahir, 30, from Pakistan, and Yixuan Cheng, 27, from China. Also killed were Jade Young, 47; Dawn Singleton, 25; Pikria Darchia, 55; and Ashlee Good, 38.
Eight victims who survived their injuries remained in hospitals on Monday, including Good’s 9-month-old daughter. The baby’s condition improved overnight Sunday from critical to serious, health authorities said.
The conditions of the other seven ranged from critical to stable.
Andrew Cauchi said his son had a “fascination with knives.” The father took five U.S. military combat knives from his son while they were both living in the Toowoomba family home last year for fear they would be used for violence.
The father said his son had become angry and called police, accusing the father of theft. The knives were given to a friend for safekeeping.
“I told the police my son had schizophrenia and I’m worried for myself,” Andrew Cauchi said.
“I said to my mate, ‘Why do I feel I’m going to be killed in my own house by my own son with a U.S. combat knife?’” he added.
The killer’s mother, Michele Cauchi, said his rampage was the “absolute worst nightmare” of any parent of a mentally ill child.
Flags on government buildings around Australia flew at half-staff on Monday as a day of national mourning was declared to honor the victims. A black ribbon appeared on the sails of the Sydney Opera House on Monday night as part of a light display.
Police had given control of the seven-story crime scene back to the mall operators on Sunday night, but a decision has yet to be announced on when it will reopen for business.
The police officer who has been credited with saving many lives by shooting Cauchi dead, Insp. Amy Scott, will be interviewed by detectives on Tuesday.
Days later - What we know about Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was stabbed in the Sydney church attack
By Melissa Mackay and Sarah Gerathy Posted 3h ago, updated 1h ago
VIDEO - A teenager has been arrested after an alleged stabbing attack during a Wakeley church mass.
* In short: Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel is a prominent conservative leader of the Assyrian orthodox Christ the Good Shepherd Church.
* He gained a significant online following during 2020 as an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 lockdowns.
* His popularity has generated online fan pages with thousands of followers.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel is a prominent conservative leader of the Assyrian Orthodox Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Western Sydney.
The 53-year-old sustained lacerations to his head after being lunged at during a mass service at the church that was being broadcast online, with the NSW police commissioner saying he underwent surgery and was "lucky to be alive".
A charismatic and controversial figure, he gained a significant online following during 2020 as an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 lockdowns, referring to the outbreak as a "pandemic".
Bishop Emmanuel grew up in Baghdad before moving to Australia as a child with his family.
In 2014, the church where the stabbing attack took place broke away from the main Assyrian Church of The East, after the bishop was ex-communicated over theological differences.
His church's website says he became a priest in 2009 and was ordained as a bishop in 2011.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a sermon posted to The Good Shepherd Church Youtube channel. (Supplied: YouTube)
His sermons are broadcast on Christ the Good Shepherd Church's Facebook and YouTube channels, which have a combined following of 240,000.
Bishop Emmanuel is also known for preaching anti-LGBTQ views, describing homosexuality as a "crime in the eyes of God".
He has also given sermons criticising non-Christian religions, including Judaism and Islam.
In another he said that "Islam flourished and expanded with the sword".
He recently delivered sermons on the conflict in Gaza, calling for peace.
The bishop's popularity has generated online fan pages with thousands of followers and he has taken part in a series of conservative YouTube programs and interviews, where he has spoken about religion, homosexuality and the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Christ the Good Shepherd Church website, he travelled to Phoenix Arizona, in the United States, to deliver a bible preaching in December last year.
What is the Assyrian Church of the East?
The Assyrian Church of the East is its own distinct brand of Christianity, although it shares many features with other Eastern Christian churches, like the Greek Orthodox church as well as Catholicism.
Christ The Good Shepherd Church draws many of its parishioners from the large Assyrian communities in Liverpool and Fairfield.
Assyrians are an almost entirely Christian minority group who are based in an area located in current day Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey.
Sermons are delivered in both English and Assyrian language at the Wakeley church, which also offers Sunday school classes for young children and a youth ministry.
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