THE knifeman behind yesterday's savage Sydney mall attack has been unmasked as a "strange" surfer who was obsessed with knives.
Queensland man Joel Cauchi, 40, terrorised a shopping centre and stabbed nine people, including a mum and her nine-month-old baby.
Cauchi's "weird" behaviour and interests, including his intense love of knives, are under the microscope following the brutal mass murder.
The killer is said to have previously called police to claim "domestic violence" after his parents hid knives from him.
Police investigated the incident, which is believed to have taken place last year, but did not take any action as no domestic violence had been committed, the Courier Mail reports.
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In Queensland, where the killer lived up until a month before the deadly attack, the owner of a knife-sharpening business described the killer as an "odd" guy who told him he liked "dabbling" with knives.
He told Guardian Australia, on the condition of anonymity, that Cauchi once told him: "I just do a bit of dabbling in the backyard with the knives and I use them every day."
The business owner added: "His expressions, he was just very vague, I suppose you could say.
"No real personality about him, just weird. I heard he leaves one-star reviews on a lot of people’s pages all the time, so just that sort of person."
In June last year, Cauchi listed himself on website Empire Escorts as a male escort offering "closed door" services.
He presented himself as an "athletic good looking 39-year-old guy" in a now-removed posting first uncovered by The Australian.
The advertisement, which extended Cauchi's services to groups, romantic encounters, and bespoke requests, read: "Let me gently massage all of your body, and have me in any and every way!"
Cauchi's profile - featuring the killer in various poses including with his hand on his hip, wearing a floral button-up shirt and standing in front of a white wall - was viewed 853 times before it was removed.
And just six days ago, he posted a call-out on a Bondi Facebook page asking if anyone would like to join him for a surf.
Cauchi unleashed terror on Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday afternoon, stabbing nine people and killing five women - including first-time mum Dr Ash Good - and one man.
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Whether he was targeting women in his stabbing spree will be an "obvious line of inquiry", according to police.
A senior cop named locally as Inspector Amy Scott of Sydney's Rose Bay Police Station was hailed a hero for single-handedly taking down Cauchi.
Dramatic video showed the police officer chase the assailant through the shopping centre, with two civilians hot on her heels, after he stabbed nine people.
Insp Scott happened to be nearby when police received reports of multiple stabbings, and fired a volley of shots at the killer when he turned on her and raised a knife.
Cauchi's family said they "have no issues" with the inspector as she was "only doing her job to protect others", as cops indicated he lived with schizophrenia - and used drugs including methamphetamine and psychedlics.
The killer's family said he battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager; he was known to police in New South Wales and Queensland for mental health-related matters.
Witness Jason Dockson, who followed Insp Scott through the centre as she sprinted after Cauchi, said he was armed with a "big blade".
First-time mum Dr Ash Good died in hospital last night after trying desperately to save her injured baby.
The infant was rushed to hospital in a critical condition for emergency surgery.
Police said she was in a "serious but stable" condition after surgery.
Family of brave mum Dr Good paid tribute on Sunday to a "beautiful" and "outstanding human", as a quick-thinking dad was praised for covering his children's eyes with masks while fleeing the shopping centre.
New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said Cauchi's family are co-operating with the investigation.
He added: "As I had said last night, there is still to this point nothing that we have, no information we have received, no evidence we have recovered, no intelligence that we have gathered that would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise.
"We know that the offender in the matter suffers from mental health.
"We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved."
Cauchi, who had dark hair and a beard, was seen wearing a Kangaroos rugby league jersey as he rampaged through the mall attacking at least 18 people with a large knife.
Shortly after coming to Sydney, Cauchi took possession of a storage facility which police are now searching.
Key moments in Sydney stabbing tragedy
- Knifeman stabs nine people, including a nine-month-old baby
- Mum throws injured baby to nearby men in final act of love
- Five women and one man confirmed dead
- Assailant shot and killed after raising knife at inspector
- Cops say attack is not thought to be terror-related
- Baby among eight victims in serious to critical condition
- Attacker, 40, is known to law enforcement
- First-time mum Dr Ash Good named as one of six victims killed
- Queensland man Joel Cauchi named as killer
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said officers would continue combing through the shopping centre today while also looking for any vehicles linked to the incident.
“This was a very broad incident. There’s a lot of footage already out in the media depicting some of what has occurred.
“So people would understand this is a large crime scene. We need to deal with each and every aspect of that crime scene," he said.
Two brothers told 9News of how they helped Dr Good and her baby who had both been stabbed, pressing shirts to their wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
The barbaric attacker had stabbed the tot as she lay in the pram before turning his knife on her horrified mum.
The brothers said they saw a man "run up to the woman with the baby."
One of the men said: "We got them into the store and rang for help."
Dr Good, 38, threw her injured child to the men out of sheer desperation.
The trained osteopath was walking through the shopping centre when the attacker stabbed her baby while in her pram, before using the weapon on her, the Australian Telegraph reports.
Friend Laura Jayes told Sky News that Dr Good was a "beautiful person, a wonderful athlete".
Ms Jayes said: "She was so excited to be a new mother and it’s all just been ripped away. She saved her baby tonight."
Hours before the attack, Dr Good shared a video of her daughter sitting in a car seat with her face in the sun to social media, as the song Mr Girl by The Temptations played in the background.
The Aussie mum's family paid tribute to her in an emotional statement on Sunday.
It read: "Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more.
"We appreciate the well wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.
"We can report that after hours of surgery yesterday our baby is currently doing well. We are so grateful for the expert care and attention of the medical team at Sydney Children’s
Hospital.
"We would also like to thank the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence in this tragedy and emergency services for getting our baby the care she needed as quickly as possible.
"To the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not - words cannot express our gratitude."
HERO COP
Policewoman Amy, who happened to be nearby when the attack happened, fired a volley of shots after the assailant turned on her and raised a knife.
She was then seen performing CPR on the victims of the knife attack, as well as on the suspect, as she waited for backup to arrive and assist.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb commended the inspector's efforts, telling reporters on Saturday: "She showed enormous courage and bravery, and she will process obviously that."
Witnesses who were shopping in Lululemon told how they heard screaming before seeing the attacker "indiscriminately swiping" at people as he calmly walked along the corridors.
Amid the horror, shoppers provided make-shift medical aid to stabbing victims as others attempted to stop the knifeman.
One brave civilian came face to face with the assailant as he prowled the halls for his next victim.
Video showed the knifeman walking up an escalator toward a man holding a pole; the civilian appeared to be acting as a human shield, preventing the assailant from accessing the higher level.
NINE PEOPLE STABBED
Eight patients were rushed to various hospital facilities across Sydney - their conditions ranging from serious to critical - and six other injured people were assessed by NSW paramedics at the scene.
Yesterday, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cook said that the knifeman had "engaged with" nine people in the centre.
He said on Saturday: "About 3.10 this afternoon a male walked into a restaurant at Bondi Junction, he left the centre and then returned about 3.20.
"As he moved to the centre, he engaged with about nine people, and it’s clear that during that engagement he caused harm to those people, we believe by stabbing them with a weapon he was carrying."
He said the man was shot after he raised a knife at a senior police officer, who reports suggest is the brave Inspector Amy.
Cook explained: "She (the inspector) confronted the offender who had moved by this stage to level five, as she continued to walk quickly behind him to catch up with him.
"He turned, faced her, raised a knife. She discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the senior police officer a "hero".
He said: "There is no doubt she saved lives through her action and it is a reminder that those people who wear uniform are people who rush to danger, not away from it and I give thanks to every one of them for the actions they have taken up to now."
The number of people killed by the knifeman rose to six about 8pm local time on Saturday.
Four women and one man were killed in the shopping centre; Dr Good was rushed to St Vincent's hospital in a critical condition but died soon after arriving.
Video showed crowds fleeing the busy mall - located in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs, just a five-minute drive from Bondi Beach - as police officers rushed to the scene about 3.45pm.
One woman, named Aviva, told 2GB Radio that she "came across dead bodies on the ground" as she ran to her car.
He said: "I saw two."
"It’s awful, it’s just terrible, I’m in shock," WA Today reports.
Shoppers Huma Hussainy and Mohamad Naveed said they saw two girls lying in a large pool of blood outside a store, about two metres apart, The Age reports.
They said one of the girls looked to be about 17 years old.
Hussainy said someone "walked up and tried to wake the girl [who had been stabbed]," but she couldn't be roused.
Forty-five minutes later, as the couple was escorted from the centre, one of the girls had been taken away and a screen had been set up over the second girl.
Geoff Young, 42, was at the Westfield with his 18-month-old child when a noise started "coming from everywhere".
He told The Age that he stumbled into the aftermath of a stabbing spree and saw a woman lying on the ground bleeding, as another person received CPR, and a third person lay in a pool of blood.
Witness Ellie Williams, 21, was finishing lunch with her friend about 3.40pm when she saw groups of people running and screaming through the centre.
She said she heard a man scream and three gunshots as she escaped through a fire exit, before alarms sounded and police arrived.
One of the six victims has been identified as the daughter of an Australian businessman, according to local reports.
Dawn Singleton, 25, succumbed to her injuries following Saturday's horrific attack.
Her father, John Singleton, 82, is a well-known entrepreneur in Australia who built his success through advertising. He has eight children.
According to Ms Singleton's LinkedIn profile, she had studied a degree in communications at the University of Technology Sydney.
Ms Singleton worked at clothes retailer White Fox Boutique, who released a tribute to her on Instagram.
"Over the weekend we lost not only an employee of White Fox but someone special to us who felt like a family member," the statement said.
"We are all truly devastated by this loss. Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing.
"We send our love & deepest condolences to her partner, the Singleton family & her friends. She will always be remembered as part of the White Fox family."
New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said in a press conference that a man in his 30s killed in the attack was a security guard at the shopping centre.
The man was identified as Faraz Tahir by the Australian Pakistani National Association, which labelled Mr Tahir as "courageous" on social media.
"Let us stand together in solidarity, offering support and prayers to those grieving and affected by this heartbreaking loss," the statement said.
New South Wales Police confirmed that Jade Young, 47, who worked as an architect in Sydney, was a fourth victim.
The fifth victim of the stabbing spree was identified by police as Pikria Darchia, 55.
Police said the remaining victim is from overseas with no relations in Australia, adding that they are attempting to contact their family.
Flowers have been laid by members of the public in Sydney, paying tribute to those who were killed, injured and affected by the attack.
PM Anthony Albanese expressed his "heartbreak" over the deadly knife attack, telling 2GB: "Australians will be shocked as I am by an incident such as this.
"It’s such a shock this happens in a country such as ours, where people should be able to go about their shopping on a Saturday afternoon without any thought that there is risk involved."
He commended Australians for their first instinct being "to help someone else" even in this instance of "shocking violence".
King Charles said he and the Queen were "utterly shocked and horrified" to hear of the tragedy in Bondi, writing: "Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have been so brutally killed during such a senseless attack."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said his "heart goes out" to those affected by the "truly devastating" attack in Sydney that killed six people.
It’s such a shock this happens in a country such as ours...
Anthony Albanese
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "The horrific attacks at Bondi Junction are truly devastating.
"My heart goes out to those affected by this abhorrent act of violence, and I pray for the recovery of those left injured and traumatised today.
"You are in the thoughts and prayers of the British people."
His statement followed a message from the Prince and Princess of Wales, which was shared to their X page.
William and Kate wrote online: "We are shocked and saddened by the terrible events in Sydney earlier today.
"Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the loved ones of those lost and the heroic emergency responders who risked their own lives to save others. W & C."
