On Saturday 13 April 2024, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi stabbed and killed six people and injured a further twelve in theWestfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in the eastern suburbs of Sydney,New South Wales, Australia. Five women and one man died, while the injured included a nine-month-old girl. Cauchi was later fatally shot by NSWPolice Inspector Amy Scott after he ran at her with a knife in hand.
According to theNSW Police Force, the perpetrator entered Westfield Bondi Junction at around 3:10pmAEST wearing a sports jersey,[7] leaving the centre before returning 10 minutes later with what onlookers described as a 30-centimetre (12 in) knife.[8][9][10]
Eyewitnesses said that he was behaving erratically, and video clips from security cameras and bystanders filming showed the perpetrator lunging at some shoppers with his weapon while ignoring others. Several shoppers confronted the man, barring his passage to certain areas, as well as grabbing tools from nearby stores to defend themselves.[11] Phone video showed one man, later identified as French construction worker Damien Guerot, preventing the perpetrator from climbing an escalator to a higher floor by brandishing abollard at him.[12][13]
The stabbings began as the perpetrator moved through the shopping centre after he returned at 3:20 pm.[14] Emergency services were called following reports of multiple people being stabbed.[10][15] The building was evacuated and public transport around the area was rerouted.[16] Around 40New South Wales Ambulance resources were deployed to the scene.[17]
The perpetrator was fatally shot in the chest by a lonepolice inspector, Amy Scott, who confronted him on the building's fifth floor after being directed by Guerot and another French national, Silas Despreaux. After he lunged at her with a knife, Scott shot him. She began to performCPR on him immediately after he fell.[18][19][20] The sound of the shooting alerted more people inside the shopping centre to the incident, which led to more evacuations and store attendants locking down their premises with sheltering customers inside.[14]
Paramedics outside the shopping centre waiting to treat injured victims
At 6:15pm, NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke, in a press conference, initially confirmed five victims had been killed along with the perpetrator, while several others remained critically injured.[21]
Five victims died at the scene. Twelve others were hospitalised, including a nine-month-old girl who underwent surgery,[21] and her mother,[22] who later died in hospital,[23] raising the death toll of victims to six.[24] Some of the injured were described as being in a critical condition.[10] A member of the shopping centre's security was among the injured.[25] On 15 April,China's Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of one Chinese national and the injury of another, stating it will closely monitor the ongoing investigation into the incident.[26]
All six fatalities were adults, comprising five women and one man.[10] The deceased victims were: Cheng Yixuan, 27 (Chinese:程逸轩), a student atUniversity of Sydney from China;[27][28][29] Pikria Darchia, 55 (Georgian:ფიქრია დარჩია), an artist and designer;[30] Ashlee Good, 38, mother of the wounded baby and daughter of former AFL player,Kerry Good;[31] Dawn Singleton, 25, daughter of entrepreneurJohn Singleton;[32] Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30 (Urdu: فراز احمد طاہر), an unarmed security guard at the shopping centre and refugee from Pakistan;[8][25][33] and Jade Young, 47.[9][34]
On the morning after the stabbings, the perpetrator was named asJoel Cauchi, a 40-year-old man fromToowoomba,Queensland, who travelled to Sydney in March 2024. His family contacted police after recognising Cauchi on the news.[9] Cauchi's parents said that they were "absolutely devastated", adding that "Joel's actions were truly horrific". They also said they had no issues with the police officer who shot their son.[35]
Police learned that Cauchi lived a transient lifestyle, was not known to be employed, and was effectivelyhomeless.[9] He was understood to be single with no children.[9] Cauchi suffered frommental health issues and was first diagnosed as such at the age of 17,[17] with investigators stating that he was believed to haveschizophrenia.[36][37][38] Cauchi's mental health had deteriorated in recent years,[9] while his parents, who said that he had stopped taking medication,[35] noticed that he had become fascinated with knives and began collecting about six of them in January 2023, adding that Joel had previously reported his father to police when he tried to take away his knives.[8][39]Queensland Police said that Cauchi had been known to them for the past four to five years, with their last recorded interaction with him being a "street check" over suspicious behaviour in December 2023.[40]
Cauchi advertised himself as amale escort on social media.[41] Less than a week prior to the attack, he also posted to a Bondi communityFacebook page searching for surfing partners within Bondi.[38]
Preliminary enquiries suggested that Cauchi had acted alone.[42] His motive remains unknown.[43]
At 8:30pm, NSW Police CommissionerKaren Webb addressed the media, saying police believed the attacker was a 40-year-old male and that the incident was not an act ofterrorism.[44] She said there was no ongoing risk to the public.[45] She also alluded that the attacker might have been known to police. TheAustralian Federal Police were subsequently deployed to assist the state police in their investigation.[10]
At a press conference on 14 April, the day after the stabbings, NSW Police said the perpetrator was 40-year-old Joel Cauchi fromToowoomba, Queensland. They stated that Cauchi, shortly after coming to Sydney, "took possession of a storage facility", and that police had gone through that very small storage facility, later confirmed to be inWaterloo, an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said that police had not received evidence that the attack was "driven by any particular motivation – ideology or otherwise", adding that Cauchi suffered from mental health issues.[9] Authorities later said that Cauchi had visited two other Westfield outlets in the days leading to the attack.[46]
On 15 April, Commissioner Webb said it was obvious to her that Cauchi deliberately targeted women during the attack, while avoiding men.[47] Cauchi's mother suggested that he targeted women "because he wanted a girlfriend and he's got no social skills".[48]
NSW PremierChris Minns announced the establishment of anA$18 million (US$11.6 million)coronial inquest into the police response, Cauchi's previous interactions with authorities and the effectiveness of NSW's mental health system.[47][49][50] The state government also said that it would review the usage of weapons by security guards in crowded places such as shopping centres and hospitals.[51]
Misinformation about the attack circulated onX,Tumblr andTelegram regarding the identity of the stabber. Initially, the false assumption that the perpetrator was Muslim and the attack was linked toIslamic terrorism was promoted by commentators such asJulia Hartley-Brewer, as well asBritain First co-founderPaul Golding,[52][53] whileRachel Riley linked the attack to support forPalestine and the "globalintifada".[54] Islamophobic and anti-immigrant comments were rife online in the hours after the attack, fuelled by speculation with racist orIslamophobic undertones.[53]
A 20-year-oldUniversity of Technology Sydney student with a Jewish surname was also falsely accused of carrying out the attack. Many accounts and political commentators, such as neo-NaziThomas Sewell,[55] "Aussie Cossack"Simeon Boikov, and conspiracy theoristMaram Susli,[56][57] targeted the student for hisJewish heritage.Channel 7 then named the student as the attacker during live coverage and published the report on YouTube without waiting for verification.[58][59][60] The company subsequently issued an apology for the error.[60] On 17 April, the student falsely accused of being the attacker sought legal representation for defamation action against Channel 7.[61] The defamation case was settled on 26 April, with Seven acknowledging their error was "a grave mistake".[62]
The Islamophobia Register of Australia recorded 46 reports of hate-related incidents following the stabbing, which it partially attributed to the misinformation released by Islamophobic figures.[63]
AGoFundMe campaign set up in Ashlee Good's name raised overA$650,000 (US$416,000) for her daughter, who was taken out of intensive care on 16 April following surgery for chest and arm injuries[64] and was discharged from hospital on 21 April.[65]
Police returned control of the Westfield shopping centre to its management on the evening of 14 April.[8] The centre reopened on 18 April for a "community reflection day" to allow people to pay their respects and leave floral tributes, with counselling services on site.Scentre Group, which runs the Westfield shopping centre chain, said that it would implement increased security measures in all its stores, including providing enhanced protective clothing for security personnel.[51][66] It also waived rent payments from the shopping centre's retail tenants from 13 to 19 April.[67] Commercial operations resumed on 19 April.[68]
On 21 June, during a graduation ceremony at theGoulburn Police Academy for 169 new officers, Detective Inspector Amy Scott who stopped the attacker was awarded with the NSW Police Commissioner's Valour Medal, one of the highest in the State’s police for those 'who display exceptional bravery in life-threatening situations'.[69]
Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese said that the attack was a "horrific act of violence" and also said he had been briefed on the attack and expressed sympathies with those affected as well as first responders.[70][6]
He also called Amy Scott a "hero".[19] On 18 April, Damien Guerot was granted permanent residency in Australia in recognition for his actions.[66] This led Muhammad Taha, a security guard from Pakistan who was also injured while confronting Cauchi, to ask why he also wasn't given permanent residency. After his comments were published, Albanese granted Taha permanent residency on 19 April.[71][72]
Acting NSW PremierPenny Sharpe convened a meeting of the state cabinet which also briefedPremierChris Minns, who was inTokyo on leave at the time of the attack and subsequently returned to the state.[14] Minns said he was "horrified to hear about the events at Bondi Junction" and, along with Sharpe, expressed sympathies to those affected as well as first responders. On 15 April, Minns said that he was considering the establishment of a permanent memorial to the victims of the attack. An online condolence book was set up by the NSW government.[78] Queensland PremierSteven Miles offered full cooperation of his state's authorities in the investigation after it emerged that the perpetrator came from Queensland.[79] Additional police were deployed in shopping centres in Queensland as a precaution.[40]
The day after the stabbing, members of the public laid flowers near the shopping centre's entrance onOxford Street in tribute to the victims, while volunteers were deployed to offer mental health support.[17]
A vigil was also held at Bondi Junction by Australian-based members of theAhmadiyya community in remembrance of the victims, particularly Faraz Tahir, anAhmadi Muslim and volunteer contributor to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth organisation.[80][81]
Albanese declared a national day of mourning for 15 April,[78] during whichflags were flown athalf-mast on government buildings and other major landmarks[82] while theSydney Opera House was lit up with a black ribbon in the evening.[83]
A candlelight vigil was held on 21 April byWaverley Council and the NSW Government atBondi Beach. Hundreds of people attended, including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the NSW Premier and the NSW Governor.[87][88]
^Harpin, Lee; Walters, Louisa (15 April 2024)."Rachel Riley issues apology after linking Sydney attack to 'global intifada'".Jewish News.Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved23 April 2024.in an instant response to the incident, campaigner against antisemitism Riley wrote on X:"For six months now people have been out our streets proudly calling for 'Intifada Revolution'. If you want to know what 'Globalise the Intifada' looks like see the Sydney mall."
^Schachtman, Noah; Kennedy, Michael (17 October 2014)."The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad".The Daily Beast.Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved25 October 2018.It's little wonder that Susli found her way into [Alex] Jones' orbit as conspiracies lie at the heart of her worldview, if her comments on social media are any indication. According to her, 9/11 was an 'inside job.' al Qaeda and ISIS, by her telling, don't exist in the form they've been presented to the global public. First off, they're one and the same. Second, they're a CIA front—hence the use of 'ALCIAda,' a favorite portmanteau.
^Achenza, Madeleine; Ransley, Ellen; Schmidt, Nathan; and Evans, Duncan (18 April 2024)."Bondi stabbing hero Muhammad Taha to get residency".news.com.au. News Corp Australia. NCA NewsWire.Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved21 April 2024.
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![Makeshift memorial honouring victim Cheng Yixuan at the University of Sydney[89]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMakeshift_memorial_at_USYD_honoring_a_victim_of_the_2024_Bondi_Junction_stabbings_(16_Apri_2024)_9.jpg)
Media related to2024 Bondi Junction stabbings at Wikimedia Commons
