An Australian Jewish university student is reportedly suing after being mistakenly identified as the Bondi Junction killer who killed six people in Sydney over the weekend.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, a 40-year-old man went on a stabbing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction mall. The attacker wielded a large knife and targeted shoppers indiscriminately. Six people were fatally stabbed, including five women. Several others were injured, among them a nine-month-old baby. The assailant, later identified as Joel Cauchi, was shot dead by a police inspector at the scene. Early investigations suggest Cauchi may have had a mental health history, and previous interactions concerning weapon possession are being reviewed as part of the investigation.
According to the report, Cohen was mistakenly named as the murderer on X, drawing over 50,000 thousands of comments, many of which brought up his Jewish identity. The “story” was then picked up by Australia’s Channel Seven on its YouTube channel, which described the killer in its live coverage as “40-year-old lone-wolf attacker Benjamin Cohen.”
“It’s extremely disappointing to see thousands of people mindlessly propagating misinformation without even the slightest thought put to fact-checking or real-life consequences,” Cohen told The Sydney Morning Herald.
