An attack on women that has devastated Australia
By Tiffanie Turnbull
It seems like all of Australia can see themselves in the victims of Saturday’s stabbing rampage at a crowded shopping centre in Bondi Junction.
There was a new mother stealing a moment for herself. A refugee security guard only a week into his new job. The daughter of a millionaire excitedly wedding planning. An international student seeking retail therapy after exams. Parents who never went home to their kids.
The attack – in a nation where mass murder is so rare – has stunned the world and raised uncomfortable questions for Australia.
“I mean, terrible things happen all the time,” Anita, 33, tells the BBC as she is leaving flowers at an ever-growing memorial. “But the fact that it happened here – where you least expect it, in such a heinous way – definitely hits home.”
Within moments of entering the centre on Saturday afternoon, Joel Cauchi selected his first victim – a woman – and stabbed her with a large knife, reportedly from behind.
Over the next 20 or so minutes – police are yet to reveal exactly how long – Cauchi roamed around three levels of the palatial shopping centre, sending scores of people running in terror.
Videos captured by frightened shoppers show him chasing or lunging towards several men, but ultimately leaving them alone.
Meanwhile, the pile of bleeding women he left in his wake grew and grew.
