Six people were killed and 12 seriously injured in a deadly knife attack at Westfield Shopping Centre in Sydney's Bondi Juction on Saturday (April 13) afternoon.
NSW Police confirmed the attacker was Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old Queensland man, who was shot dead on the spot by Superintendent Amy Scott. At the time, Scott was conducting a liquor license check near the site.
Two Chinese witnesses who brushed shoulders with the Grim Reaper shared their experiences. Mourning is also taking place in the Chinese community, where candles were lit in a corner of the University of Sydney's campus for the slain Chinese student, and Chinese people recounted their ties to the victim's "heroic security guards", saying that his family only wanted to transport his body back to his homeland in Pakistan.
Chinese witnesses share their experiences
In the deadly knife attack that shocked Sydney, two Chinese witnesses who passed by the Grim Reaper shared their experiences.
Tina Xie, a local Chinese resident in Bondi Junction, goes downstairs to the mall almost every day to buy fruits and vegetables. That afternoon, she brushed up on the assault in the mall.
Commenting on the aftermath of the attack, Tina Xie said: "It's a little scary to go out now...... At least recently, [this incident] has had an impact on my travel. ”
Helena, a Chinese national, was shopping on the fifth floor of the mall when she heard screams and saw people "running like crazy".
"He said, 'Somebody has a knife, get out of there.' At the behest of other Chinese, she was forced to hide in a clothing store for half an hour.
Mourning is taking place in the Chinese community
As a sign of mourning, flowers were placed at various locations throughout the city. Flora Bian, a Chinese immigrant, was among those who traveled to Bondi and the University of Sydney to lay flowers.
"I feel very sad and I want to do it my own way...... Express my remembrance of Mr. Chen. ”
In order to mourn the deceased Chinese students, a corner of the University of Sydney is also filled with flowers and candles.
Diana Duan was one of the international students who came to lay flowers to mourn the deceased. She burst into tears when she was interviewed on SBS's Mandarin program.
"Even though we've never seen it, it's very sad that innocent lives have been killed, [by] this random attack. ”
Leung Wai Hong, President of the University of Sydney's Graduate Student Association, the organiser of the memorial event, said: "We also believe that Sydney is a very safe place for parents to rest assured that their children will still have a safe life here. ”
Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, also came to the scene with flowers in his hand.
In an interview, Mark said the university would provide support within its capacity, including counseling services to support Mandarin communication.
Mark said: "We are all very saddened today that the University of Sydney suddenly and inexplicably lost a young student. The incident that happened over the weekend was truly incredible. We were all deeply shocked, especially the international students at the time, many of whom were friends and classmates of the victims. But I think it's a shocking moment for anyone who has traveled the world to come here to study. ”
"What we want to say to international students and their families is that for the most part, Australia is a very safe society. Sydney is a very safe community and so is our campus. I want parents and families to know that we will do everything we can to support international students and give them the opportunity to come together, share their grief, share their sorrows, and strengthen the community here. At this time, this is a very important thing. ”
The Chinese personally described the bond with the murdered "hero security guard".
In this vicious incident, a 30-year-old mall security guard, Faraz, was killed and was called a hero.
Coming to Australia from Pakistan on a refugee visa, he brought unparalleled warmth to Xavier Li, a Chinese student.
In his most down-and-out moments, Xavier said, it was the murdered security guard Faraz Tahir who reached out to his aid.
After learning that Xavier was temporarily homeless, Faraz, who was still living in Brisbane at the time, gave him the only bed in his room to sleep on, while he made a bunk next to him.
Mr. Xavier said Mr. Faraz was remembered as "smiling" and "hardworking," working multiple jobs at the same time and trying to get a security guard certification.
Xavier is also good friends with Faraz's nephew, Shakeel Qureshi.
Through Shackle, Xavier learns more about the status of Faraz and his relatives.
"He lost his parents when he was a child, and he worked hard in Australia to earn money to support his family in Palestine, and he hasn't seen them for five years. Now, the wish of the relatives is to bring his body back to his hometown. ”