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Joel Cauchi, the man who killed six people and injured at least 17 others in a mass stabbing at Bondi Junction Westfield, reportedly made concerning Google searches about “how to kill” on his phone prior to the attack.
Cauchi was shot dead by police officer Amy Scott during the attack. Police say it may take months to determine a motive for the killings.
So far, police have only revealed that Cauchi had a history of serious mental illness, and that they do not believe the attack was “ideologically” motivated. It’s also been acknowledged that Cauchi appeared to target women specifically, and this is a line of inquiry investigators are pursuing.
However, crime editor for A Current Affair Simon Bouda has claimed Cauchi had a “fixation” with killings prior to the massacre.
“I have learned today that the investigators have been able to download data from his phone, which has indicated that he had a fixation with killings,” he alleged.
“He also had a fixation with knives. That tells us it wasn’t a spur of the moment attack. Beforehand, he was thinking about killing, and that is terribly frightening.”
Bouda also claimed Cauchi Googled “how to kill” on his phone, citing a police source.
On Monday, Cauchi’s parents said their son was “a sick boy” who was “not in his right mind”.
His father, Andrew Cauchi, said Joel moved back in with the family for some time in 2023, and that he had brought a collection of knives with him.
“I found these US Army combat knives and I said, ‘Joel you can stay here as long as you like but you are not going to have these in my house’, and so I took them off him, knowing that there was going to be pandemonium, but I was willing to put up with it,” he said.
“He rang the police saying I stole his knives … I said ‘look I am not having these in my home, I have given them to a mate to look after them’.”
Andrew also said he could understand why police were investigating the possibility that Cauchi was specifically targeting women.
“He wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain,” he said.
Joel Cauchi’s mother said the attack was “out of character” and that he “wasn’t in his right mind” during the attack. When asked about why he would have such an attachment to his knives, she suspected they were “probably for self-protection”.
Cauchi, who is from Queensland, was known to local police but not for any criminal reasons.
“He has not been prosecuted or arrested or charged for any offence within Queensland, and he has no record within the courts for a domestic violence order,” Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe said.
The investigation into the stabbing is ongoing, and anyone who has further information is urged to contact police.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to NSW Police for comment.
Image: Getty / Sydney Morning Herald
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