The sixth Sydney stabbing victim has been named as police said it was “obvious” women were targeted

The sixth person stabbed in Saturday’s Sydney shopping center attack has been named as Chinese student Yixuan Cheng, as Australian police say it is “obvious” the knifeman targeted women in his rampage.

Five of the six people homeless attacker Joel Cauchi killed in his knife attack at the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center were women.

The majority of the 12 other people injured in the attack, which occurred near the world-famous Bondi Beach, were also women.

A New South Wales police chief said on Monday that after reviewing CCTV of the rampage, “it was obvious to investigators that the perpetrator focused on women and avoided the men”.

Ms Cheng, 27, from China, is the sixth and final victim named by police.

She studied economics at the University of Sydney, Sky News Australia reported, and was said to have been on the phone with her partner while shopping shortly before her death.

Her family is abroad and has been informed of her death.

Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old Pakistani refugee who worked as a security guard at the mall and was unarmed, was the only man killed in the attack.

The others killed were Sydney-based architect Jade Young, 47; Dawn Singleton, 25; Pikria Darchia, 55; and Ashlee Good, 38.

Ms Good’s nine-month-old daughter Harriet was also stabbed in the attack. Harriet underwent surgery and her condition improved from critical to serious on Sunday evening, health authorities said.

The baby is one of eight victims who remained hospitalized Monday.

The condition of the other seven ranged from critical to stable.

New South Wales state police commissioner Karen Webb said Monday that investigators would interview Cauchi’s family to determine his motive.

CCTV footage from the mall showed Cauchi targeting women while avoiding men.

“The videos speak for themselves, don’t they? And that is certainly a question for us,” Ms Webb told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“It is obvious to me and to the investigators that this appears to be an area of ​​interest: that the perpetrator focused on women and avoided the men,” she added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC Radio the victims’ collapse was “worrying”.

Asked about any links between the attacker and misogynistic networks, he said: “All these investigations will take place. It will be comprehensive and nothing will be ignored in this matter.”

Emergency services were called to Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east just before 4pm on Saturday after reports several people had been stabbed.

Witnesses described Cauchi, wearing shorts and an Australian rugby league jersey, running around the mall with a knife.

Some shoppers and employees tried to stop him as crowds sought refuge in closed stores.

He was eventually shot by Police Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone while he was on the verge of the rampage. Insp Scott is due to be questioned by investigators on Tuesday.

Police ruled out terrorism as a motive and said Cauchi, 40, from Queensland, had a history of mental health problems.

He had suffered from mental health issues since his youth, Cauchi’s family said in a statement released by Queensland Police.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those currently undergoing treatment,” they said.

“Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to understand what happened.

“We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and the Queensland Police Service and have no issues with the police officer who shot our son as she was just doing her job to protect others and we hope so “That she’s fine.”

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe told reporters in Brisbane that Cauchi, who he described as a “wanderer”, had “not been prosecuted, arrested or charged with any offense in Queensland” and said police were supporting the New South Wales police investigating.

Mr Lowe said: “He has had contact with the police, particularly in the last four to five years we have had the most contact with him.”

“It was during this contact that we became aware that this individual was suffering from mental health issues.”

He said Cauchi’s family contacted authorities when they saw footage of the attack on television.

The evidence will be presented to a coroner to report on the circumstances surrounding the victims’ deaths.

Police Commissioner Ms Webb said she expected the coroner would also consider the question of whether security guards at the shopping center, one of Australia’s largest, should be armed.

Prime Minister Albanese on Monday praised the “remarkable bravery” shown during the attack, particularly Police Inspector Scott, who he said “ran towards danger, got this guy out and undoubtedly saved lives in the process.”

“Today is a day when people are going to hug their loved ones a little tighter,” he said in an interview with Triple M Radio in Sydney. “And just to show that in times like these we are a society that sticks together. Australians will stick together.”

Flags at government buildings across Australia flew at half-staff on Monday as a day of national mourning was declared to remember the victims. A black ribbon will appear on the sails of the Sydney Opera House on Monday evening as part of a light display

On Sunday evening, police handed control of the seven-story crime scene back to mall operators, but a decision on when the mall will reopen is still pending.

New South Wales state premier Chris Minns told ABC News the state government would consider creating a permanent memorial to the stabbing victims.

He described it as “a terrible, terrible few days” and announced plans to provide up to 18 million Australian dollars (9.3 million pounds) for the New South Wales coroner’s office to launch an independent investigation.