Australian police say Sydney mall attacker Joel Cauchi was targeting women

The police on Sunday identified the attacker as Joel Cauchi.

"The man was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics; however, he could not be revived and died at the scene. He has since been identified as 40-year-old Queensland man, Joel Cauchi," read a statement issued by NSW Polie Force.

The attacker's father broke his silence over the attack and tearfully apologised for the action of his "tormented" son.

He said he too would have shot down his son if he was the police officer responding to the incident.

Speaking outside his home in Toowoomba, Queensland, Andrew Cauchi told ABC News that he was "not really" coping with the aftermath of his 40-year-old son's actions.

"He was a tormented soul, tormented, and frustrated, and I'm sorry that he's done this to your children and this nation," the father told the news channel.

Cauchi's mother, Michele, told ABC News her son had been under the care of doctors for about 18 years while receiving treatment for mental illness.

Police told The Guardian that Cauchi had mental health problems and that he had moved from Queensland to New South Wales only a month before he took a knife into the crowded Sydney mall on Saturday afternoon and killed six people in an unprovoked stabbing spree.

The attacker stabbed to death six people at a mall in Sydney on Saturday, a mass stabbing incident which is rare in the nation.

Several videos emerged on social media where the attacker was seen roaming around the mall with a knife in his hand.

A woman cop shot him dead and several video going viral on the social media platforms showed her.

" An officer attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command attended and was allegedly confronted by a man, armed with a knife," police said in a statement.

Australian PM  Anthony Albanese said his government has offered full support to the police to investigate the incident.

"It’s crucial that NSW Police be allowed to conduct their investigation without interference or speculation. Our government has offered its full support to the investigation," the PM posted on X.

He said: "As we remember the victims of this terrible attack, we also pay tribute to the courage of those who prevented further harm.We can be so proud of their heroism and their compassion."