Australian authorities are examining the motives behind a deadly stabbing attack that took place in a busy Sydney shopping mall, after CCTV footage revealed the assailant specifically targeted women while avoiding men.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday in the Westfield Bondi Junction mall near the famous Bondi Beach, left six people dead and over a dozen injured. The lone assailant, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, was shot and killed by police during the incident.
Police have ruled out terrorism as a motive, stating that Cauchi had a history of mental illness. However, the focus of the investigation has now shifted to understanding why the attacker seemed to deliberately single out women as his victims.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said detectives would question Cauchi's family in an effort to determine the reasons behind his actions. "The videos speak for themselves, don't they? And that's certainly a line of inquiry for us," Webb said, referring to the CCTV footage that showed Cauchi targeting female shoppers.
The attacker's father, Andrew Cauchi, provided some insight into his son's potential motivations. He said the younger Cauchi, who suffered from schizophrenia, had been frustrated by his inability to find a girlfriend, which may have fueled his anger towards women.
"Because he wanted a girlfriend and he's got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain," the distraught father told reporters.
The only male victim, Faraz Tahir, was a 30-year-old Pakistani refugee who worked as a security guard at the mall. The other five victims killed were all women, ranging in age from 25 to 55.
Authorities have also raised questions about the mall's security measures, with the police commissioner stating that the coroner's report would address whether security guards should be armed to better respond to such incidents.
As the investigation continues, the tragic events in Sydney have left the community in shock and mourning. A day of national mourning has been declared, and flags on government buildings across Australia have been lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims.