The knifeman behind the Sydney shopping centre massacre led a secret life as a male escort, it has been revealed, as police probe whether he intentionally targeted women.

Five women and one man were killed when Joel Cauchi launched his horrifying attack in the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction on Saturday.

A nine-month-old baby girl was left fighting for her life after her mother was killed in the rampage, which ended when Cauchi was gunned down by a hero police officer.

Police have confirmed they are exploring why he “focused on women and avoided the men” during the spree, which also injured 12, as details emerged of his secret life as a sex worker.

Four people, including a priest, have reportedly been attacked inside a church in Sydney in the second stabbing incident to hit the Australian city in a matter of days.

The incident happened at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley at around 7.15pm local time (9.15am GMT).

Footage from the incident, broadcast live on the church’s YouTube page, appeared to show the church leader attacked by a man approaching the altar.

The parents of the Sydney stabbings attacker have said they are “extremely sorry” after their son killed six people at a mall in Bondi.

Joel Cauchi, 40, roamed through the busy Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday with a large knife, killing six people and injuring 12 others, including a nine-month old baby.

He was shot and killed by Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone on the fifth floor after a pursuit through the mall.

Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a black ribbon as part of the national day of mourning following the stabbing deaths of several people at a shopping mall in Sydney’s East on 13 April.

Police shot and killed the assailant, Joel Cauchi, during his knife attack in the Westfield Bondi Junction mall on Saturday near world-famous Bondi Beach. He killed six people and injured a baby.

Police have ruled out terrorism and said the 40-year-old had a history of mental illness.

Rachel Riley has said she is “sorry” if a racist post she shared about the Sydney shopping centre attack was “misunderstood”.

The Countdown star, who once called social media a “cesspit of hate”, is facing calls to be sacked by Channel 4 after falsely suggesting the fatal incident was linked to a rise in support for Palestine.

Six people were killed in the attack, which police said was carried out by Joel Cauchi of Queensland. After news of the stabbing surfaced, Riley wrote: “For six months now, people have been out on our streets proudly calling for the ‘Intifada Revolution’. If you want to know what ‘Globalised Intifada’ looks like, see the Sydney Mall.”