A Sydney assemblage pupil claims helium was sent 'thousands' of messages aft helium was wrongly identified arsenic the knifeman down a horrific attack that saw six guiltless shoppers killed.
Ben Cohen, a 20-year-old first-year computing subject pupil astatine the University of Technology, was falsely accused online of stabbing shoppers astatine Bondi Junction Westfield connected Saturday afternoon.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has since identified 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi arsenic the antheral who attacked shoppers with a knife.
The sanction 'Benjamin Cohen' began trending connected X - formerly known arsenic Twitter - conscionable hours aft the stabbings with much than 50,000 posts mentioning his name.
Mr Cohen slammed net sleuths' accusations arsenic 'very dangerous' noting they could 'destroy people's lives'.
Ben Cohen (pictured) was wrongly identified by net sleuths arsenic the knifeman down the Bondi Junction Westfield attack
The knifeman (pictured during the attack) has since been identified by constabulary arsenic 40-year-old Joel Cauchi
Mr Cohen's father, Mark, said the family, who unrecorded unneurotic successful Sydney's eastbound suburbs, were 'freaked out' by the shocking allegations.
'I deliberation they've conscionable gone for the archetypal look that benignant of looks the aforesaid and matches their ain motives oregon what they wanted the communicative to be,' Mark told news.com.au.
'They don't realise however overmuch harm they tin do. I person worked successful tech my full life, my woman is simply a teacher. We are conscionable a precise mean family.'
Mark added the vicious rumours adjacent reached Mr Cohen's extended household with loved ones ringing to find retired if they were true.
'Everyone's asking what's going on, radical asking if it's true. Of people it's not true, he's not adjacent a politically motivated person. He's conscionable a mean kid who present has got to woody with this,' helium said.
Hours earlier constabulary held a property league and revealed Cauchi arsenic the knifeman, Mark had taken to X to wide his son's name.
'Hey NSW Police, you request to merchandise the sanction of the Bondi junction attacker earlier this nonsense claiming it was my lad causes much harm,' helium wrote.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Mark Cohen for comment.
Among those killed was 38-year-old parent Ashlee Good who was the archetypal to beryllium targeted by Cauchi alongside her nine-month-old babe daughter Harriet.
The baby remains hospitalised successful a superior but unchangeable information aft undergoing surgery.
Six guiltless shoppers, including the parent of an injured nine-month-old baby, died from the fearfulness weapon onslaught connected Saturday day (pictured, witnesses talking to an serviceman astatine the scene)
Their heartbroken household shared a connection connected Sunday morning.
'Today we are reeling from the unspeakable nonaccomplishment of Ashlee, a beauteous mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, each circular outstanding quality and truthful overmuch more,' it read.
'We admit the well-wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian nationalist who person expressed an outpouring of emotion for Ashlee and our babe girl.
'We are truthful grateful for the adept attraction and attraction of the aesculapian squad astatine Sydney Children’s Hospital.
'We would besides similar to convey the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence successful this calamity and exigency services for getting our babe the attraction she needed arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.
'To the 2 men who held and cared for our babe erstwhile Ashlee could not - words cannot explicit our gratitude.'
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