By: Natasha Archary
Six people were stabbed to death in Sydney, Australia when a knife wielding man went on a rampage inside a mall.
On Saturday, 13 April hundreds of terrified shoppers at the Westfield Bondi Junction Mall fled as 40-year Joel Cauchi started his stabbing spree.
Joel targeted five women, one of whom was a mother who threw her 9-month old baby into the arms of a stranger, before she was fatally stabbed.
The baby girl who also sustained a stab wound is said to be in a stable condition in hospital, after the good samaritan applied pressure to her wound before she was rushed to hospital.
According to CNN, the baby received emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
Cauchi’s 6th victim, was a security guard at the mall, Faraz Tahir who sought refuge in Australia a year ago when he fled his home country of Pakistan.
Twelve others were injured in the mass stabbing attack, 8 of whom are still in hospital with injuries ranging from critical to stable.
Cauchi was eventually stopped by a female police officer who pursued him relentlessly through the mall, before she shot and killed him.
Australian police authorities say the motive for the mass stabbing attack is unknown, but have ruled out the possibility it was terrorism related.
Preliminary investigations, and mall CCTV footage suggest Cauchi was targetting women and avoided men.
Cauchi’s Facebook profile shows he worked as an online English tutor, however he was listed on two escort agency websites.
Speaking to media, Cauchi’s parents said their son was struggling with mental health illness and if he had been in the right frame of mind, he would have been horrified at what he done.
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