The targets of the man who committed a mass stabbing in a shopping center in Sydney were probably women, local police said.
Joel Cauchi, the 40-year-old attacker, caused panic in the packed Westfield Bond Junction complex on Saturday when he started stabbing people with a long blade.
Five of the six victims were women. Several more of them were wounded, including a little girl.
It was "obvious" that Cauchi had targeted women during the attack, the New South Wales police commissioner told Australia's ABC News.
The only man who was killed on that occasion was Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old security guard, who tried to intervene.
He was a refugee from Pakistan who had spent a "short period of time" in Australia, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Radio Triple Em on Monday.
- Six dead in Sydney knife attack
- Australian teenager jailed for school shooting
- More than 600 accused of domestic violence in Australia in just a few days
“The footage speaks volumes, doesn't it?” said Commissioner Karen Webb.
"It is obvious to me, it is also obvious to the detectives that the attacker focused on women and avoided men.
"We don't know what he was thinking and that's why it's important now that detectives spend a lot of time questioning those who know him," she said.
Earlier, the Australian authorities pointed out that the attack was most likely "related to the mental health" of Joel Cauchi, who was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday.
A special unit of investigators has been formed to investigate the incident, and the New South Wales Police say that the results of the investigation could be known in a few months.
Prime Minister Albaniz told ABC News that "a sexually motivated attack is, of course, worrying".
Ashley Good, 38, was stabbed to death while trying to protect her nine-month-old daughter, who was wounded and quickly underwent surgery.
After a few hours of surgery, the baby's condition improved significantly, said the officials of this Australian federal state.
"It's in the darkest moments that sometimes we see the brightest light and this is something we've all been hoping for," said Ryan Park, NSW Health Minister.
The police revealed that 47-year-old Jade Young and 55-year-old Picria Darcia were among the dead women, while local media reported that another victim was 25-year-old Dawn Singleton.
In a post on social media, her employer wrote that she will be remembered as "a kind and kind-hearted woman who had her whole life ahead of her."
The last victim is Cheng Jisuan, a Chinese woman studying in Sindej, Prime Minister Albanez confirmed.
Her family members have been informed that she was killed and are on their way to Australia, ABC News reported.
The four wounded during the attack have since been released from the hospital.
Eight others are still undergoing treatment, the conditions of some of them are serious, while others are stable, according to local media reports.
Andrew Cauchi, the attacker's father, told reporters that his son had been struggling with mental illness and had recently stopped taking his medication.
“He's a monster to you. He's a very sick boy to me," he said in a video published by The Australian newspaper.
"He wanted to have a girlfriend, but he didn't have the social skills and he wasn't good at communicating with them, which frustrated him a lot," Cauchi said when asked why his son targeted women.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the "deadly and violent attack" had shaken "everyone in the city", announcing that $11,6 million would be invested in a police investigation and inquiries into the killer's previous encounters with state institutions.
In an interview with ABC News, he also mentioned the possibility of setting up a memorial in the Bondi shopping center in honor of the six victims.
Couchi has a history of being known to police but has never been arrested or charged with a crime in his home state of Queensland.
He lived itinerant for several years and was diagnosed with mental illness when he was 17, Queensland Police said.
When asked about the situations in which Cauchi had contact with NSW police, Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cook said he was only aware of "situations where he moved" when he had trouble sleeping.
Park said there was no information that Cauchi had sought help for mental illness in New South Wales, but that his treatment history would be "searched in detail".
The attack on one of the largest and most popular shopping centers shocked Australia, where mass murders are rare.
Flags across the country were flown at half-mast on Monday, and the sails of the famous Sydney Opera House will be flown in colors to honor the victims.
Many gathered in front of the mall, where they leave flowers and messages for those killed during the attack.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
