According to the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, on April 13, local time, a knife attack occurred in a shopping mall in Sydney, killing six people and injuring many others. The 40-year-old assailant was shot dead by local police.
The Chinese Embassy in Australia and the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney finally confirmed that a Chinese citizen died in a knife attack at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia.
According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, on April 15, the reporter learned from people familiar with the matter that Cheng, a Chinese citizen who was killed, was from Anhui Province and was studying for a master's degree at the University of Sydney. At the time of the incident, Cheng was shopping in the mall. Because he lost contact after the incident, the family sought help in many ways. At present, his family has rushed to Sydney.
Police work near a mall where a knife attack took place in Sydney, Australia, April 14. Photo/Xinhua News Agency
A Chinese female student was killed in a knife-to-knife murder case in Sydney, and she was shopping for a trial bag at the time
The reporter noticed that after the incident, a news of "looking for Yixuan Cheng, a Chinese female student who lost contact in the Sydney slashing case", spread on the Internet. Local media have successively disclosed information about the victims, and on the 15th, it was confirmed that the Chinese citizen killed in the incident was Yixuan Cheng, a student of the Department of Economics at the University of Sydney.
Photo according to Orange Persimmon Interactive
People familiar with the matter told reporters that the victim, Cheng, was a native of Anhui Province and was studying for a master's degree at the University of Sydney. People familiar with the matter said they received a request for help from the victims' families after the incident.
The family said that on the afternoon of the incident, Cheng had been sharing photos of shopping in the shopping mall where the incident occurred with him, and the last message stayed at 15:25 local time. After the family saw a knife wounding incident in the mall, they continued to contact Cheng to no avail. Photos provided by the family show that before the incident, Cheng was shopping at a brand-name store.
On the 14th, a family member of Cheng told reporters that someone in the family had received a notice from the embassy or consulate and had left for Sydney.
The family said that Cheng was sharing photos of shopping at the mall at the time of the incident
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to the casualties of Chinese citizens in the Sydney attack:
The Australian side has been urged to make every effort to treat the wounded
On April 15, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian held a regular press conference. In response to the attack in Australia, spokesman Lin Jian said that on April 13, a knife attack occurred in a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia, resulting in many casualties. After the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed the embassy and consulates in Australia to immediately activate the consular protection emergency mechanism to verify the casualties of Chinese citizens.
According to the Australian side's report, up to now, the incident has killed one Chinese citizen and injured one Chinese citizen, and the embassy and consulates in Australia have urged the Australian side to make every effort to treat the injured, actively provide full assistance to the families in dealing with the aftermath, and pay close attention to the progress of the investigation.
People placed bouquets of flowers near the mall where the incident occurred
Australian police said the knife attackers in Sydney may have targeted women
The Australian police said on the 15th that the target of the attack on a knife wounder in a shopping mall in Sydney City on the 13th may be a woman, and the police have launched a relevant investigation.
The only male among the dead was a mall security guard, and most of the 12 injured were women. Among the injured who are still being treated in hospital is a 9-month-old baby. The baby's mother died in the attack.
According to a previous report by Red Star News, one of the victims of the tragedy, 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, is the daughter of John Singleton, one of Australia's most famous businessmen. At the time of his murder, Dawn was shopping at a high-end boutique in the mall.
The 25-year-old victim was Dawn Singleton
Previously reported: The daughter of an Australian billionaire was killed in the Sydney attack!
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on the 15th that the video taken at the scene of the incident "says it all" and that the perpetrators "mainly targeted women and avoided men", which is undoubtedly a problem worthy of in-depth investigation by the police.
At the same time, Webb stressed that the police still do not know the motive for Webb's murder and are questioning people who know him.
The suspect's father was interviewed
He said his son was frustrated with the relationship between the sexes
According to the Beijing News, the suspect's father said in an interview that his son was frustrated with the relationship between the sexes. "Because he wants a girlfriend but he doesn't have the social skills, he's frustrated (about it). ”
Chinese witnesses recount their horror experiences
CCTV News reported that the attacker was a 40-year-old man from Queensland with mental health problems. Police said the shopping mall where the incident occurred continued to be closed today and police are still conducting further investigations.
A Chinese witness told reporters about the horror experience of the shopping center where the incident occurred that day.
Ms. Hong, a Chinese in Australia, happened to be shopping at the mall on the day of the incident. "Later, I read the report that the shops where the murderer committed the murder were all the stores I visited that day, and the route was the same. If I delay paying a few more points at a certain store, then I will collide with the murderer head-on. ”
Ms. Hong said that at around 3:30 p.m. local time on the 13th, she and her boyfriend were shopping at the mall where the incident occurred, "Suddenly I heard a scream, and then I saw someone running outside, and we also quickly ran out of the store and saw some people watching by the railing." I saw a woman on the third floor lying in a pool of blood from above, with a chest injury, and several passers-by were helping her with first aid and phone calls. ”
Crowds waiting to be evacuated. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Within a minute, a series of gunshots rang out in the mall, and the people hiding in the store immediately panicked, during which the gunshots rang out again. I later learned that those gunshots were the sound of a policewoman shooting a gangster. ”
Ms. Hong said that they were later moved from the store to the warehouse at the back of the mall, not knowing what was going on outside, and the people around them were also squatting in the warehouse like herself, and the alarm sounded throughout the mall, "The female clerk next to me was frightened and had tears in her eyes." ”
After squatting in the warehouse and waiting for a long time, the mall radio sounded, and the staff asked everyone to flee to the nearest exit as soon as possible, and the customers in the mall also consciously stood in a row and left in an orderly manner. "On the way, I saw a corpse with its head covered with clothes and blood all around, and I didn't dare to look at it more. ”
After the aftermath of the disaster, Ms. Hong said: "I feel more fortunate and grateful. However, the overwhelming news is still being updated, and after knowing the identity of the victim, you will empathize and feel uncomfortable.
Chengdu Business Daily-Red Star News reporter Shen Xingyi
Comprehensive Southern Metropolis Daily, CCTV News, Beijing News
Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhang Wu Text Editor: Lu Xiaochuan Title Image Source: Shangguan Title Map
Source: Author: Chengdu Business Daily