SYDNEY (Reuters) – The man who fatally stabbed six people on Saturday at a Sydney shopping center suffered from psychiatric problems and there is no reason to believe he acted out of ideology, police said on Sunday.
The 40-year-old attacker, Joel Cauchi, was known to police in neighboring Queensland state, and law enforcement spoke to his family after the attack.
“The family, when they saw the images on television, thought it might be their son, and they contacted the authorities,” said Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Roger Lowe.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attacker, who was dressed in shorts and an Australian national rugby league jersey, walked through the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center with a knife in his hand.
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He fatally stabbed six people and injured a dozen others before being shot dead by police officer Amy Scott.
Suffering from mental problems diagnosed at the age of 17, Joel Cauchi has had dealings with the police for the past four or five years without being arrested or charged with any crime, Roger Lowe said.
The murderer led an itinerant lifestyle, he slept in his car and was rarely in contact with his mother by SMS, the police officer further clarified.
Knife attacks are rare in Australia, a country of about 26 million people with some of the strictest gun and knife laws in the world.
Five of the six people killed were women. Among those hospitalized is a nine-month-old baby, 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.
King Charles III, Australia’s head of state, posted a message on the royal family’s X account: “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who were so brutally killed in such a senseless attack. “
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had received messages of condolence from around the world, adding that the attack had highlighted the courage of ordinary citizens.
(Reporting Scott Murdoch and Praveen Menon in Sydney; French version Elizabeth Pineau)
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