Five people were killed in the stabbing attack and several of the victims are in serious and critical conditions, he added.
Police later confirmed that another person had died in hospital, bringing the number of victims killed in the attack to six. Among the injured is a nine-month-old infant who required surgery.
Cooke said the attacker briefly walked into the mall on Saturday afternoon before leaving. He returned soon after with a knife.
Police said they believed the attacker was a 40-year-old man who was known to law enforcement, but they did not name him. Preliminary investigations indicated that he acted alone and that the incident was not an act of terrorism, though the motive was still unclear, said Police Commissioner Karen Webb..
“The devastating scenes at Bondi Junction are beyond words or understanding,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a news conference.
“This was a horrific act of violence indiscriminately targeted at innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday, doing their shopping,” he continued. He praised the bravery of the officer who responded to the “very dangerous” incident by herself, saying: “She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt she saved lives through her action.”
Outside the hospital, Isaac Weinberg told Australia’s ABC News that his wife Yvonne had been stabbed.
“She thought she got punched and then she touched herself and there was blood,” he said. “Apart from that she’s OK. She’s alive and that’s all that matters.”
The upscale Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall is situated in the affluent eastern suburbs of Sydney, less than two miles from Bondi Beach.
It is normally a bustling but peaceful hub of shoppers drawn to high-end stores including Gucci, Chanel and Christian Dior. There is little visible security and anyone can enter the mall off the street from multiple points. Most days, its corridors are full of shoppers from around the world, elderly mall-walkers staying fit and young mothers making use of the cafes and play equipment.
The incident has shocked Australia, a nation where mass killings are extremely uncommon. There were 79 homicides in 2022 in New South Wales, a state of more than 8 million people. The most common homicide weapon was a knife, partly due to Australia’s tight gun restrictions.
The incident was the state’s worst mass killing in more than a decade, local media reported.
New South Wales state premier Chris Minns said he was “horrified” by the news and thanked police, emergency services and the community “for their bravery in the face of this shocking incident.”
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were lost, and wish the injured a speedy and complete recovery,” Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Australia, said in a message shared by the embassy.
Bisset reported from London.
