It is time for meditation this Sunday in the streets of Sydney where many residents laid flowers in tribute to the victims of the knife attack the day before which left six dead and several injured in a shopping center.
The day after the tragedy, we know more about the attacker, who was shot dead by a police officer hailed for her heroism. According to Australian police, he is a 40-year-old man suffering from mental illness. Nothing suggests a possible terrorist motive, according to the same source.
“At this stage, we have no element, no information, no proof or no intelligence to suggest that it is a particular motivation, an ideology or other” for his act, explained New South Wales State Police Deputy Commissioner Anthony Cooke.
The man appears to have acted alone
On the other hand, “we know that the assailant suffered (…) from mental health problems”, he added, specifying that the man, known to the police, had come from the state of Queensland (north -east of the country).
The assailant appears to have acted alone, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference. “For all of us this evening, the appalling scenes at Bondi Junction are beyond words and beyond comprehension,” he said.