Sydney killer deliberately targeted women

Joel Cauchi, who attacked shoppers at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney, specifically targeted women as victims. The BBC Russian Service writes about this.

The attack killed six people, five of them women. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said they were targeted by the attacker. The only male dead was an emigrant from Pakistan, security guard of the shopping center Faraz Tahir. Webb said police do not know the gunman's motive.

Previously, local authorities linked the attack to Cauchi's mental disorders. Cauchi had recently stopped taking medication for mental illness, his father said. “To you he is a monster. For me, he was a very sick boy,” the father said. In his opinion, Cauchi could not build relationships with girls: “He had no social skills, and he was upset to the point of losing his mind.”

Joel Cauchi moved to Sydney from neighboring Queensland. There he already came to the attention of the police, but he was not arrested or brought to justice.

Police said they were conducting a search of a small storage unit rented by the perpetrator. However, they found no evidence of preparation for an attack. According to police, Cauchi led an itinerant lifestyle, recently sleeping in his car and only occasionally keeping in touch with his mother.

The attack at a Sydney shopping center took place on Saturday at around 4pm local time and police shot and killed Cauchi. The attack left eight people in hospital, including an eight-month-old girl. Police have set up a separate investigation team and said it could last several months.

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