Recently moved from Queensland to Sydney
"It does not appear to be a murder based on a specific ideology"
On the 13th (local time), regarding the stabbing rampage that occurred at a shopping center in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, local police stated that the perpetrator was a man in his 40s with mental health issues and that it does not appear to be a murder motivated by a specific ideology.
On the 14th, the New South Wales (NSW) Police held a press conference and announced that the suspect in this incident is 40-year-old Joel Couch. According to the police investigation, Couch had worked as an English tutor in Queensland for several years before recently moving to Sydney, NSW. He has no criminal record but had experienced mental health problems in the past, which the Queensland police were also aware of.
On the 14th (local time), a citizen placed flowers in mourning for the victims of a stabbing rampage on a road in Bondi Junction, Sydney, Australia. [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]
The NSW Police explained that based on the information and evidence gathered so far, this incident does not seem to be motivated by any particular motive or ideology. They also added that among the six victims who died in this incident, five were women, and they are investigating whether Couch deliberately targeted women in his attack.
Meanwhile, this incident, a stabbing rampage that occurred in broad daylight on the weekend at a shopping center, shocked Australian society. The incident took place at the Westfield shopping center in Bondi Junction, an eastern suburb of Sydney. At around 3:20 p.m. on the 13th, the perpetrator Joel Couch appeared carrying a 30 cm long knife and attacked shoppers. Anthony Cook, Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police, said at a press conference that Couch was at the shopping center, left around 3 p.m., and then returned about 20 minutes later carrying the knife, describing the situation at the time.
On the 13th, police were dispatched around the scene of a stabbing incident in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. [Photo by Yonhap News]
When the perpetrator began his attack, hundreds of shoppers were startled and fled. Local media reported that because the alarm did not sound at the time, shoppers evacuated in confusion. Additionally, videos were posted on social media showing many ambulances and police vehicles arriving at the scene, with crowds gathered around the shopping center. Couch wielded the knife at nine people on the 4th floor and then moved to the 5th floor, where he was shot and killed by police officers who responded to the report. It is understood that Couch was shot after threatening the police with the knife.
As a result of this incident, a total of six people died, including five women and one man who were in the shopping mall, and twelve others were injured with stab wounds and are receiving treatment in hospitals. Among the injured is a 9-month-old baby, whose mother was killed by Couch. Additionally, two of the deceased were foreigners without family in Australia, and the Australian police are attempting to contact their families through embassies and other channels.
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