Sydney shopping centre attack specifically 'targeted' women, says Australian police
Sydney, Australia: In another revelation, the Australian Police has said that the Sydney shopping centre attack specifically targeted women, reported Al Jazeera. In the brutal stabbing incident that took place on Saturday afternoon, five women and a man were killed.
The police said that the suspect was a 40-year-old man who acted alone.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Monday stated that it was "obvious" that the suspected attacker, Joel Cauchi, targeted women.
"It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives that seems to be an area of interest that the offender focused on women and avoided the men," Webb told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), according to Al Jazeera.
According to Webb, investigators interrogated Cauchi's acquaintances in an effort to obtain "some insight into what he might have been thinking."
The victims' gender distribution, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is "concerning".
According to Al Jazeera, the majority of those injured in the attack were also women.
Notably, those killed were identified as a 55-year-old designer, a 47-year-old architect and volunteer surf lifesaver, the 25-year-old daughter of an entrepreneur, a 27-year-old student from China and a 38-year-old new mother.
The sixth deceased, a male, was a 30-year-old Pakistani security guard, who was killed, while reportedly trying to stop the attacker.
He was shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott, ending the attack.
In remembrance of the victims, Australia's national flag has been flown at half-mast at significant locations, including at Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Parliament House.
Six people were killed and several others were injured, including a nine-month old baby in a Sydney shopping mall mass stabbing on Saturday afternoon (local time).
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was "beyond words and understanding." As of now, eight additional people are being treated for injuries at hospitals in Sydney, following the barbarous attack.
The sheer scale of the incident has prompted a massive law enforcement response, with officers from various commands converging on the scene to secure the area and launch a thorough investigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Chaos erupted around 4 pm (local time) on Saturday with reports of multiple stabbing within the bustling shopping complex. Witnesses describe scenes of sheer terror as a man, reportedly armed with a knife, ran amok, leaving bystanders in a state of shock and confusion.
