Social media users incorrectly name killer in Sydney mall attack

Australian police have identified the killer in a knife rampage they shot dead at a major Sydney shopping centre as Joel Cauchi, contrary to social media posts that incorrectly named him as "Benjamin Cohen". Following the incident, a man misidentified as the killer spoke to local media to denounce the false posts.

On April 13, 2024, police shot dead Joel Cauchi after he fatally stabbed six people and wounded a dozen more at the Westfield shopping complex in Bondi Junction.

New South Wales police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said there was no evidence the 40-year-old Queensland man was "driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise", adding that he was diagnosed with a mental health issue at age 17 (archived link).

Before investigators publicly named Cauchi, false posts circulated on social media that wrongly identified the mall attacker as Benjamin Cohen (archived link).

"Israeli coder named Benjamin Cohen stabs 7 people to death in Australia and suddenly everyone stops talking about it," reads a screenshot of a post from the day of the incident shared on Facebook on April 14.

Posts on Facebook and social media site X shared a similar claim with screenshots of a LinkedIn profile for a University of Technology Sydney student named Ben Cohen (archived link).

Australian broadcaster Seven News also wrongly named Cohen as the killer before correcting its report and issuing an apology (archived link).

Screenshots of the network's reporting were subsequently shared online by users amplifying the misinformation.

Baseless claim

In a video published on YouTube by local newspaper The Australian on April 14, Cohen criticised social media users for "mindlessly propagating" misinformation without the "slightest thought put into fact-checking" (archived link).

He said he was disappointed that a major news network used his name "without waiting for a statement from the police to verify this or going out to try verify it themselves."

"This whole incident has been highly distressing and disappointing to myself and my family," Cohen said.

He pledged to take legal action against Seven News, according to a report by Australia's national broadcaster ABC on April 17 (archived link).

A representative for Seven News told AFP the network would not comment on an ongoing legal matter.

Other posts shared online by social media users falsely claimed the mall attacker was an "Arab immigrant" with a "violent history", for which they provided no evidence.

Police said Cauchi was an itinerant with a history of mental health problems from Queensland who was "not known criminally".

He was said to have been in contact with police several times in the five years before the attack but was never arrested or charged with any offence.

Queensland police assistant commissioner Roger Lowe said on April 14: "He has not been prosecuted or arrested or charged for any offence within Queensland. And he has no record within the courts for a domestic violence order".