Six Killed In Knife Attack At Shopping Center

(ConservativeSense.com) – Over the weekend, six people in Australia were stabbed to death in a shopping mall by a rampaging assailant before police intervened and shot him dead.

The suspect, who has since been identified as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, went on a knife-wielding rampage through the Westfield Bondi Junction mall, sending shoppers into a panic on Saturday, April 13, around 3:30 PM local time. Cauchi stabbed several people with a long blade, including a baby, and killed six people: a man, who was a security guard, and five women.

Despite immediate speculation by some that the incident was a terrorist attack by Muslim extremists, the Commissioner of New South Wales Police, Karen Webb, said they do not believe Cauchi holds “an ideation” and that the killings were “not a terrorism incident.” Webb added that law enforcement is confident that Cauchi, who was shot and killed by police, was the only person involved and that “no ongoing risk” exists.

An officer, who was later identified as Inspector Amy Scott, chased down Cauchi and fired at him when he came at her with the knife. He died at the scene.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the killing spree “unspeakable” and “beyond comprehension,” while also noting the heroic actions of Scott, “who ran into danger by herself” to stop Cauchi from hurting others. Albanese thanked the “wonderful inspector” and the first responders who tended to the victims.

Caroline Kennedy, the US Ambassador to Australia, also expressed shock over the incident and sympathy for those impacted. The embassy stated they are “deeply saddened” by the news.

A few days after the mall stabbing spree, a 16-year-old boy attacked a bishop with a knife in the middle of his sermon at a church in the Wakeley neighborhood of Sydney. Law enforcement believes that incident to have been religiously motivated and is treating it as an act of terrorism. They are working with state intelligence to investigate any potential accomplices or terrorist organization connections.